Twins of Peace Book Two: Corruption
by Mary Jane Parker
Summary: This is the sequel to my 1st HP x-over. LAST CHAPTER UP!! I REPEAT: LAST CHAPTER!. please Read and Review!
1. Chapter One: Piper

E-mail: Cajun_chick411@yahoo.com or Cajun_chick411@netscape.com

Title: Twins of Peace Book Two: Adhara (Working title)

Spoilers: all four HP books, Buffy up to the end of season six, and my fanfic Twins of Peace

Category: General, Supernatural, and Action/Adventure

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I regret to inform you that I am neither Joss Whedon nor JK Rowling so I own no HP characters, Buffy, or Angel characters. However I do own Piper, Adrian, Hayden, Candra, Damon, William, Adhara, Leandra, and any other characters you know aren't in either series.

Summary: The summer after her first year at Hogwarts Piper Black faces problems of the demon variety. I'd suggest reading the previous fic Twins of Peace, or you might be a bit lost. I can't really tell you much more with out giving the whole thing away, so with out further ado, let's go…

*~*

Chapter One: Piper- Adhara

"Thanks Mrs. Todd."

"Think nothing of it Piper. You deserve it, putting up with Rick all summer."

"He hasn't been that bad. Tonight he just watched a little TV and went to be at eight thirty."

"Still, it has been wonderful to be able to go out again. He must really like you; no other sitter would come back more than once. Do you need a ride home?"

"No, I'll walk."

"Well thank you again." The door shut and I skipped down the stairs, forty dollars in my pocket. It was nine o' clock and I needed to get home; my night to do the dishes after all. Also Buffy would worry. I wanted to get to sleep relatively early too. The next day was Thursday and I coached girl's softball in the mornings. Then in the afternoons I tutored third graders in math. 

Does this sound a little _too_ Leave it to Beaver-ish? Do I sound like a saint? I guess my year at Hogwarts did change me a little.

Ok, first off my life is not like something out of the Brady Bunch, let me assure you of this. It's more like the Munsters, and that's only looking at the Nick at Nite line up. If we went to current television we'd be talking Roswell or Star Trek. I know from what I just said it must sound like I live in a typical suburb, with two accountant parents, a brother and sister, a dog, and a white picket fence. Here's what I have from that list, a suburb (definitely not typical though), a brother, and a dog. My mother is dead, and my father is an escaped convict currently hiding out in Asia. He's not and never was an accountant. Nope, he's a wizard. 

I live in a suburb of LA called Sunnydale, and when portals to hell aren't opening over it I live a pretty nice life. I'm very popular with the local parents, because kids love me. Something I discovered while taking care of my twin cousins. I seem to be the one babysitter they actually want to see again. Like I mentioned I tutor, and coach softball. When I've got down time I go with my cousin Dawn (actually she's more like my cousin once removed or something, but we won't delve into that) to the local club, or we go to the beach and I surf.

That's the Brady Bunch part of my life, here's the reality. I'm a girl of three worlds. First there're the mortals, y'know your average people on the streets who have no desire to look beyond they white picket fence and 2.4 children. My summer life as a normal teenager is very important to me. It helps me keep a grasp on things. In fact, this summer I've done as little magic as possible. I got all my homework out of the way early, just so I could be normal. Totally normal isn't possible for me, but I can try.

The second largest part of me is my magic. My mom was a witch, and my dad is a wizard. Long story on genetics short, that makes my twin brother Adrian a wizard and me a witch. I found out last year when I was still living with my adoptive parents in New Jersey and working for below minimum wage at the Apropos Café. My dad and his friend (my godfather) Remus Lupin tracked us down and brought us to magical world over in London. During the school year we go to Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. It's one of my favorite places in the world. Anything weird there is the norm, it's perfect for the other part of me.

My mom was half vampire. Skipping over another long genetics essay that makes Adrian and I one fourth vampire each. The interesting twist on this story is, the vampire who turned my grandmother making my mother half vampire, is my uncle on my dad's side. His name's Spike. Get this, he and his, uh, not wife, but girlfriend isn't exactly appropriate either, ok, Spike and Buffy, they're my guardians. Now my being part vampire would be fine if I weren't part of a prophecy to bring peace between all beings. That part kinda sucks, not much, but some.

Sometimes I just want to be a muggle. I'd just be one of those two point four kids. But then there'd be no Spike, no Candra, no Draco, and most of all no Adrian and I don't think I could live without Adrian. Actually it was proven last year that I can't live with out him when he was kidnapped by Spike's crazy old girlfriend. 

"Adrian, I miss you like crazy," I mumbled sadly.

"You're gonna be missin' a whole lot more in a second."

I groaned and turned around. A vampire stood next to a tree. He was newly dead. Dirt clung to the suit he'd been buried in and he smelled awful.

"I'm not in the mood for this!" I growled, side stepping quickly as he lunged for my neck. Rolling on the ground I grabbed a stake from my boot and stuck it right through his back. The vamp exploded into dust as quickly as he'd come.  "One day they're gonna learn…" I shook my head as I hurried up Revello drive to the house. All summer they'd been attacking me, and to counter this all summer I'd been training with Spike and Buffy in the back of the Magic Box. I kept a stake tucked into my trusty doc marten boots at all times. It was easily accessible and vampire rarely got away.

"Buffy, Spike?" I stepped into the house. Lights were on but I couldn't hear anything.

"They left patrolling." Dawn called from the kitchen. "The twins are asleep."

I went through the parlor to the kitchen. Sitting, I dropped the stake on the table and started to unlace my boots. 

"Again?" Dawn asked, eyeing the stake.

I sighed. "Yeah. I dusted him in two minutes. I'm waiting for them to learn that I'm always armed. They haven't figured this out yet and it's soooooo annoying. The fact that I'm almost as strong as them might make them want to back away too, but no!" The last lace came out and I stood, making my way to the dishwasher and started unloading it.

"Adrian called, also the Social Services guy called again."

I looked at the clock on the wall above. 9:01. Damn. At the beginning of the summer Buffy and Spike had decided that the phone could not be used after nine unless it was an emergency. I really wanted to call Adrian, but unless I was in bed with stomach, chest, and head pains, calling Adrian didn't qualify as an emergency.

Social Services, this was another problem. They'd stopped checking up before when there was only Dawn. But now there were two babies and me. Buffy was finally getting paid from the Watchers Council because of the twins, and Spike was getting paid as Adrian's and my guardian, but when a social worker asks you what your profession is that really doesn't go over with them. Yes we were a house with a steady income and well-clothed, well-fed children, but where was that money coming from and how were the adults of the house getting it. And why weren't Buffy and Spike married. All of these were questions that people had been asking. 

"Don't worry," Dawn said sympathetically. "It'll probably be better to call Adrian tomorrow anyway. He's probably out doing detective stuff."

Another weird part of my life… did I mention my brother is spending his summer with a vampire named Angel who runs a detective agency with his friends? No? That's probably just as well. Weirdness is good to take in small doses.

*~*

It was raining and plain icky the next morning, so I turned off my alarm clock and slept through the time I would've been coaching softball. Buffy stuck her head into my room at around twelve telling me that tutoring had been canceled. Oooh, a break! I finally got myself into the shower at one in the afternoon, and at two I went out into the rain and walked over to the Magic Box.

The bells on the door jingled as I pushed open the door and walked in. Anya was at the counter and immediately looked up at the sound obviously hoping for a customer. Her face fell a bit when she realized that it was only me, but she was still smiling. "Spike and Buffy are in the back."

"Thanks. I'll go back in a second." I said, spotting Willow with my twin cousins. 

You hear people talking about their miracle children all the time, well my cousins were true miracles. And I'm not bragging in the least, they are. First their father is a vampire, which alone gives you something to talk about. Their mother is only the Second slayer to ever have children, the first being my grandmother. Buffy is also the oldest slayer ever at the ripe old age of twenty-one. Some in the Watchers Council insist that William and Damon can't possibly be Spike and Buffy's children. I'm thinking they're slightly blind. I can tell William will look exactly like Spike, even at one month. He has brown hair (which was Spike's hair color before he got peroxide sucked into his brain), blue eyes, and I swear he smirks. I know that sounds ridiculous, but sometimes he I could swear he mimics Spike's facial expressions. He loves attention and screams, wonderful set of lungs he's got, whenever at least one person isn't looking at him. Damon on the other hand seems to have taken looks from Spike's sister (or so he says). Since I've never seen a picture of her, I just say he looks like my brother did at that age. Black tousled hair, and a constantly drooling mouth. He has green eyes that seem to get brighter by the day. He'll usually let his brother do the yelling for him, which is a blessing to all of us when we run out of aspirin.

Damon grabbed my finger in his fist when I went to pick him up. He has a very good grip for a one month old. The twins had if nothing else, inherited some super strength from their parents. I started prying his fingers from my thumb, which was an amazingly hard task. 

"They're waiting in the back." Willow informed me. "Um, and it wasn't me who told you this, but Spike's planning to ambush you as you walk in the door."

I handed Damon back to Willow, and sighed. "Does he never give up?"

"Buffy told him to stop, but he's determined to get you to do it." Willow said. 

"Ya think?" I grumbled, and turned to stalk into the back training room.

As soon as I walked in Spike jumped me from the back. Willow had been right. I flipped him over my shoulder then ran to the corner where my weapon of choice was. It was a plain, long wooden staff, but it worked wonders. Spike came at me again and I jabbed him in the stomach sending him flying. But he was up again quickly and before I knew it I was on the ground, my own staff being pointed at my heart.

"Now pet," Spike said above me. "You could make this bloody easy for yourself if you just-"

"No." I cut him off. "I'm not using my demon to fight. I'm not using it for anything."

"Will you stop bein' so bloody stupid?" He finally got off of me and stuck out a hand to help me up. "You could knock me from here to the cemetery if you just let it come out. Pet, you're pushing it down every time we fight.

Damn, I'd hoped he wouldn't have picked up on that. It was true, though. Really it was the only reason he could pin me down so easily, I was concentrating too much on not letting myself get the lumpies. Spike didn't get it though, I didn't want my demon. I'd be happy keeping it penned up inside me for the rest of my life. Sure the other vampiric traits I gotten from my mother were ok, the enhanced senses, the strength. They'd just recently started to come out. Even sun burning incredibly quickly was fine. But I was not comfortable with the demon. Adrian was, but definitely not me.

"Spike stop," I heard Buffy's firm voice. She was sitting on a bench to the side, and I hadn't noticed her yet. "She doesn't want it."

"You didn't want to be the slayer did you luv?" He asked irritably. "Doesn't matter now anyway. Let's go out front."

Buffy shot him a concerned glance. Spike was already gone. I sighed and followed him out of the training from with Buffy at my heels. She put a sympathetic arm on my shoulder, and again I sighed trying hard not to look pissed off. Anya didn't like it when people looked unhappy during store hours. She said it scared off potential customers.

When I stepped into the main part of the shop, I smacked right into Spike. He'd stopped right in the doorway, and was staring straight ahead. I was about to tell him to move when I caught a glimpse of what he was staring at. Actually all of the Scoobies in the shop were staring at the same place.

A black woman had walked into the shop. She stopped in the middle of the room and was looking right at Spike. I thought I had to be dreaming. The woman looked like she'd walked right out of an X-men comic (yes I read them, it's a guilty pleasure). She looked like Storm. She had long white hair and looked very regal. Her white blouse and skirt were plain, but she was not. 

"William," she said after many minutes of silence. 

"Adhara," Spike said softly. 

Willow gasped. "You're the one who gave Spike his soul."

She nodded. "I did. I then sent him to where he was needed. But I am not here to talk of William."

"I suppose it would be wishful thinking to hope you'd like to buy something?" Anya frowned.

"I would speak to Leandra, daughter of Livia and Orion's hunter." Adhara said simply.

Spike stepped wearily aside, leaving me exposed to the woman. Spike was watching her very carefully and Buffy still had her arm on my shoulder so I at least felt somewhat safe, but Adhara freaked me out. "Hi," I murmured.

"I saw you last night." Adhara told me. "You killed a vampire. Why did you do this?"

I blinked at the question. If she'd been watching then she would've had to he him come a try to suck my blood out. And she was asking me why I dusted him? "He was trying to kill me."

"He thought you attractive. He would have changed you and watched over you." She spoke as if this was supposed to be the most obvious thing in the world. "You would have been part of one community, is that not what you want?"

Why was this woman blurting out my personal wants to the whole room? It was annoying, but also very creepy. I'd never seen her yet she knew this about me. According to Spike she gave a person their deepest soul felt desires, so maybe she was supposed to know everything about everyone. 

"You have pushed away your vampiric heritage, and given up your magic for the summer. But still it falls on you even when you try to avoid it."

I scowled and lied. "I gave up magic because we're not allowed to do it over the summer anyways." I knew that was a weak response. I was in America over three thousand miles away from America's magical government and six thousand from England's. I could've done as much magic as I wanted and not gotten in trouble.

"And your demon?" Adhara's brown eyes bored straight through my blue ones.

Buffy's grip tightened on my shoulder. "This really isn't any of your business. I don't know why you came, but you should leave. Now."

Adhara sighed. "I have a permanent connection with any person whom I help. William, not your son, called me here. He did so unknowingly, but it worked. He was worried about Leandra. I am here to help, and I will before I leave. None shall stop me."

"Will you stop calling me Leandra?" I snapped.

"What would you have me call you? Leandra is your given name. You are only called Piper, because your father switched the two names after his sister killed your mother." It was another statement given in the 'duh' tone. "I have devised a way that will help you. There are four weeks before you return to England with your brother to stay with your friends. In that time I will help you see what world of creatures you wish to reside in, magical, demon, or human."

"And if I don't want this?"

"You have no choice." Adhara smiled kindly. "For one week you will live as a vampire, the next a human, and the next as a witch. At the end I shall know what you have chosen. You will not tell me. I will make you into what your soul has chosen."

"Adhara," Spike said. "You can't just morph her body into what ever you bloody want."

"Do not presume to tell me what to do William." With that she raised her right hand and let a yellow light shoot straight at me. Buffy tried to knock me away but the light had already come. Then I felt it happen. Exactly what I'd been trying to avoid all summer. My face shifted and my demon was out.

"My magic's gone!" I practically screamed. 'Piper' I told myself. 'You can't go hysterical.' But when I felt the total emptiness in my body where magic had once flowed I was crying uncontrollably. To make things worse I jus had to reach up to my face. It was lumpy, and I had fangs. The little people that lived in my brain connected my tear ducts to Niagara Falls then sat back to watch their handiwork.

"She won't be able to shift her features back for the week. "Adhara said like it was no big deal.

In a flash I'd jumped from my seat and lunged for her. I grabbed the stake from my boot and was ready to jam right up her ass and rotate, but then much to my dismay she disappeared. I slid to the floor in total defeat, still crying. This wasn't right. I could feel it already; I wasn't made for no magic and lumps. I hated the thought of not having a soul, not being able to feel…I stopped for a brief second. I was still feeling wasn't I? I was sad, angry, and scared. They were feelings. The bitch had left me with a soul. That cheered me up a little, but not enough to stop crying.

I noticed that I was no longer on the floor. Spike was holding me in his lap like he would William or Damon. He was whispering something, but I really couldn't tell what it was. Everyone else was looking at each other, not knowing exactly what to do. They were probably surprised to see me like this, but they didn't know what it was like to feel so wrong. And I was going to have to be like this for a week…

The door to the shop opened. I barely noticed as Xander walked in with Dawn. He noticed me though. "Piper's got her lumps out I see." Xander hadn't noticed me crying; even though I knew this it was hard for me not to leave Spikes lap and knock him senseless.

Adhara paid us her visit on Wednesday. Spike had taken me home through the sewers that day and now it was Sunday and I was planning on actually leaving my room. It wasn't like I was doing anything useful. I read comic books, looked in the mirror and cried, listened to depressing songs, looked at pictures from last year and cried, slept, oh and did I mention cried? Spike had finally come in and taken my mirror away. In a moment of desperateness I'd taken my wand and tried the simplest spells I knew. Nothing, not even the tiniest spark. That sent me into a whole new set of hysterics so Buffy came up and took my wand. My plan had been to stay upstairs for the whole week, but a phone call to Adrian convinced me that going downstairs would probably be better than sitting in solitude for seven days (actually I did come out, but only at night and only because I felt dirty and needed showers).  

A small place in my brain also knew that I was hungry, and the pizza and chips Dawn had been bringing weren't helping. Didn't matter to me though. I could get through the entire week with out blood. My throat was dry, and my veins seemed to itch but I was ok, or so I told my self. I felt like a crack addict trying to go cold turkey. 

I pulled an old dress shirt of Adrian's on over my sports bra, not caring enough to button up. Some ripped cargo pants were perfect for my mood, and I didn't bother with shoes or socks. My hair was a mess and hurt while I tried to untangle it, finally I gave up and stuffed it under a bucket hat. Still I looked awful, and that's saying something since being in permanent demon face wasn't very attractive to begin with. I tried to see myself under the demon. The girl with Greek olive skin, blue eyes, and straight black hair. She was 5'5", good with kids, had a puppy, used curses more than violence, and could be the occasional bitch. I wanted her back. I was not the crying, depressed child I saw in the mirror, yet I thought that until Adhara gave me back what was mine I would be. I wanted my magic back and the demon gone.

I pulled on my wolf slippers before leaving the room and padded through the hall way and down the stairs. Once on the bottom step I took a deep breath before entering the kitchen. Just my luck, the whole Scooby gang was there, including the two babies. People weren't supposed to see me like this. 

"Welcome back pet." Spike said, looking me up and down. 

"Hey," I stuck my head into the fridge and grabbed some milk. I drank straight from the carton, draining the whole thing. Despite the cool feeling of it going down, my throat was still parched, burning almost. The gang looked at each other. It was like they were exchanging secret messages with their eyes. Suddenly I had a very bad feeling, like maybe I should've stayed up in my room and read some more comics.

"You gonna eat?" Buffy asked. 

"No!" I said firmly, knowing exactly what kind of eating she meant. 

There was a loud group sigh. Danger flashed in neon lights in my head. It was a little too late. Xander came over to the fridge and reached in as Buffy and Spike each grabbed one of my arms and directed me to a chair. They pushed me into it and held me there. Between the two of them there was more than enough strength to keep me anywhere. My eyes widened as I saw Xander hand a jar of pig's blood to Willow. She poured it into a glass and gave it to Spike.

"You are going to drink this." He said as I started to struggle. "It's for your own good, 'cause you will not sit upstairs and die on us."

"He's right Piper," Buffy said. "You're going to end up killing yourself, and I really don't want to have to explain that to your father. So we can do this the easy way, as in you take the glass, or we can do it the hard way."

"I'm not going to drink it, and you can't make me." I said stubbornly, even though I knew good and well they could.

"Bottoms up pet," Spike grabbed my chin and yanked my jaw open. The red liquid was unceremoniously poured down my throat. He put a hand over my mouth to keep me from spitting it back up. My body forced me to swallow the blood as Spike and Buffy watched carefully. "You feel better now, don't you?" Spike asked in a smug voice.

"No I do not, thank you very much." I lied with a glare. "I feel totally and utterly disgusted."

"You'll be having another glass for dinner," Said Buffy in a voice that dared me to challenge her. 

"I HATE you!" I yelled in a totally uncharacteristic outburst. No, I didn't. Damn! I couldn't hate them. The blood had made me feel alive again. Every thing felt better, and damn Spike with that smug look on his face. He knew I felt better now.

"Bollocks, you know you love us!" I heard him call as stormed out of the kitchen. So much for coming down stairs.

Back in my room I picked up the cordless phone and furiously punched in the number for my brother in LA.

"Angel Investigations, we help the helpless." 

"Gunn, it's Piper" I recognized his deep voice. "Is Adrian there?"

"He's out." He said. "You want to talk to Cordy?"

I sighed. "Nah, I'll try again later. Can you tell him I called?"

"You sure you don't want to talk to someone? You sound awful, no offense."

"I'm cool," I lied. "Talk to you later."

After Gunn hung up I looked at the phone grumpily and slammed it back into the cradle. A small dent appeared in my nightstand. My strength seemed to have returned since the blood. It was true I felt better, but at the same time I didn't.

"Lee, you look awful." I said to myself in the mirror. I almost expected it to answer; it would've at Hogwarts. "Your hair is about ready to form dreads, you're wearing a sports bra as a top, and you've got blood drying on your chin. Do something about it."

I almost smiled at myself before grabbing my radio, a Ja Rule CD, and some Herbal Essences. I would not sit around in my room crying. I would not act like some brainless chit who couldn't take care of herself. What I would do was regain the threads of Piper Leandra Black that had come undone and put them back together so that when Adhara returned I'd have my dignity and enough strength to go buck wild on her ass.

A/n- Ok folks? Did you like it? I hope. Please read and review. Uh, don't expect the next chapter before Friday or Saturday. I'm feeling kinda sick, I've got two a day soccer practices, I've gotta do that damned summer reading stuff, and school starts on September fourth. In other words I'm very busy so this story won't be finished as quickly as the other one. 

Thanks Laurewen (I hope I spelled that right) for the Xander stuff. It helped and I'll be using it. The next chapter is narrated by Adrian and is taking me a while to write because I find it hard to write from a guy's POV at times. Also I'm in the process of redecorating my room which is so totally cool! I have this huge Spike collage on my door, and Toby Maguire is covering my ceiling…er, ok I'm not a weird as I sound *looks around a blushes*. I'm gonna go hang out with my tissues and Dayquil. Maybe I'll be luck and Aladdin will be on Toon Disney (yes people I really am 16).

                               Much luv from Sunnyhell,

                                                                    MJ Parker 


	2. Chapter Two: Adrian

Chapter Two: Adrian- Visitor

A/n- For the purposes of this story Connor has never existed. Not that I'm a Connor hater or anything but that would just add too much complication into the story. Ok, My Wife and Kids has just gone off so I've had a good hours laugh. I think I'm ready to write, *takes a swig of non-drowsy Nyquil*. On we go…

The knocking on the door was annoying me. The phones were annoying me. My sister was annoying me. I couldn't find any Advil and there were a pair of goblins back in Angel's office waiting for me to tell them who the one hundred galleons really belonged to. 

"Piper I _really _have to go." I said into the phone as the goblins stared at me through narrowed eyes. 

"Fine," She huffed. "But you will be helping me kill this Adhara woman. I can't believe she just decided to extend my time as a demon. I was-"

"Bye Lee!" I slammed the phone back onto the cradle, turning back to the goblins. "Where were we?"

"The money is mine Peacemaker!" Holdlock slammed his fist on the table. "Gripdirt cheated me!"

This was the one of the many times I hated being a Twin of Peace, or just a Peacemaker as the goblins had decided my name was. Creatures I'd never heard of had started to come to me this summer to solve one problem or another. These goblins were the least of it. I'd had zombies, trolls, wraiths, the list goes on. Strangest of all I could communicate with all of them. I wished some of them would go to Piper, but I had a feeling her living on a hellmouth was keeping them away. So I was the lucky one who got to meet banshees and lizard men on a regular basis.

"First of all," I said, pushing down a growl. "Call me Adrian, not Peacemaker, and second can't you just split the money?"

Gripdirt shook his head. "No! One gets the money, and one alone!"

Before I had the chance to spit out a long string of very unmerciful words, the door to Angel's office opened and Fred poked her head in. "Gunn's going out to do a little reconnaissance on that nest you guys found last night. You going? Oh, also I found that Advil."

"I'm going. I'm absolutely going!" I was out of the room in seconds, Fred at my heels. She handed me the pills, which I swallowed with out water, then went to get my stuff.

"Not going well?" Fred inquired. 

"Not going anywhere. Goblins are accountants by nature; they don't want to give up money. It's just stupid trying to get them to compromise at all." Ah, the medicine was kicking in.

Fred looked out to the crowed lobby of the hotel. "Well I hate to say it, but half the people out there are for you."

"It's three now, we shouldn't be back for awhile, then I go out with Angel tonight." I sighed. "I can't see anyone else today, nor do I want to. I want to be able to have a conversation with my sister, and maybe my girlfriend."

Fred slapped her forehead. "I forgot, Hermione called this morning. She said to get back to her whenever you had time. Morning or night."

"This is ridiculous. I need to get rid of all those demons and, ugh, whatevers waiting out there. This was not part of the prophecy. We're just supposed to bring peace between demons and humans not giants arguing over land borders or merpeople mad about sunken ships." I said angrily, dropping supplies into my pockets. 

"But you're bringing peace," She said lightly. "It's a step in the right direction."

I stooped to tie my boots quickly. "You're right I guess. Thanks, I'll see you later." 

I knew that behind me Fred's face was screwed up into a look of worry. It was unneeded. Despite the headaches and frustrations of what I was doing, I was having the time of my life at Angel Investigations. It was a summer job now, but I'd already sworn to myself that after I finished Hogwarts I would be back. 

Angel and Cordelia where my official guardians for the summer and (even through Spike's non stop grumbling about Angel) I was staying with them and the rest of the Fang Gang for the summer. My sister Piper was a few exits down on the highway with Buffy, Spike, and our twin cousins. Dumbledore had placed me in LA for a few reasons. I was close to my sister but not too close, Cordelia could report back to him, Angel is my great times something sire (he sired Dru, who sired Spike, who sired my Grandmother, who gave birth to my mother, who gave birth to us. Get it?) So we're related in a rather odd and twisted way, and LA is a big city with a lot of places to hide and very limited Death Eater activity. 

I made a brief stop back into Angel's office where the goblins were still arguing as Lorne tried to usher them out. I grabbed my wand from the desk and ran out before either one of them had time to see me and start the debate over the money again.

Gunn was already turning to leave when I was halfway to the door. I'd started to jog, but a familiar female voice stopped me dead in my tracks. "Adrian! Adrian, wait!" I'm not one for delusional false hope so I didn't turn immediately. I kept heading for Gunn. But she called again and this time I heard footsteps running up. Gunn turned and looked at me from the door. Grinning, he shook his head and hurried out of the hotel.

"Hermione?" I turned slowly, hoping that it was her. This question was answered as she flung her arms around me as soon as I was facing her, and kissed me senseless. 

"Adrian!" She said breaking the kiss. "I'm so glad I caught you! I have so much to tell you and I know Dumbledore said we couldn't, but I can't keep it from you two! We're going to be in so much trouble, but you're not getting the Daily Prophet and…"

"'Mione!" I cut her off, placing my hands on her shoulders. "What's going on?"

Hermione's face was flushed and she looked like a house elf about to break a rule and slam his hands in a waffle oven. "The ministry, it's out of control."

"C'mon." I took her hand and gently led her through the crowded lobby. Fred had left so we were the only other humans in the room and we looked very out of place, especially with Hermione looking about ready to go hysterical. Angel had been in the hotel's kitchen last time I'd checked so that's where I decided to take her. Whatever had her worked up was probably important enough for him to hear it.

Angel was in the kitchen with Cordelia. Cordy was waving her wand around fixing something to eat while laughing with Angel. They both looked up when I brought Hermione in.

"Hello Professor Chase, Angel." Hermione said shyly, sitting in a chair I pulled out for her. I perched myself on the counter next to her, still touching her protectively.

"You can call me Cordy during the summer," she said. "Uh, Hermione it's very nice to see you, but how'd you get here. Did you Floo?"

"And why are you here?" asked Angel.

Hermione heaved a sigh. "M-My parents are on a second honey-moon. They don't know I'm here."

"Ooooh boy." Cordy groaned. "You risked ultimate groundation just to see AJ?"

"No! Well, a little, but-" she blushed profusely. "The English Ministry's in shreds, and Adrian it's important. It's turning into the old times, sixteen years ago. When Death Eaters reigned. Dumbledore said you and Piper shouldn't know. He wanted you to have a good summer-normal- but they're doing horrible things."

I rolled my eyes. "Trust me, our summers have been anything but normal. Are you going to Piper after this?"

"Harry, Ron and…Draco. They're there now."

"Draco?!?!" Cordy and I said together. "They're working together?" I asked.

"No, they didn't even know they'd end up there together. Draco was going to pay a surprise visit to Piper. We all met up at the Floo stop in Florida." Hermione was digging into her bottom lip now. "Everything's so terrible."

Angel set a glass of water into her shaking hands and directed her to drink. "Ok, exactly what is happening? And why is it so important that you came nine thousand miles to tell Adrian and Piper?" I looked at her as she gulped the water. Hermione was wearing a jumper, and striped knee high socks. She looked very much like Willow on a typical day, but I'd never seen her shaking so much, not even when Drusilla had attacked her. 

"The Death Eaters are more active than ever. There've been so many muggle killings and tortures. Even here in the states they've gained more support. From what I've read that's mostly on the East Coast in the major cities, but Portland and Las Vegas's magical populations have become practically consumed by Voldemort's supporters. The things they're doing to Muggles are horrible but that's not the worst of it." She took a breath. "The ministry's killing innocent Muggles."

"The Ministry of Magic? Cornelius Fudge? He might be stupid but he wouldn't order this," said Cordy shaking her head. "It'd get him kicked out of office like that!" she snapped her fingers to punctuate the sentence.

"Not if the ministry is filled with Voldemort's supporters. You guys, Lucius Malfoy was made the Deputy Head Minister." My heart skipped at least three beats at that. Cordy's mouth dropped, and Angel's eyes dawned with sudden understanding. The Ministry of Magic was now officially corrupt.

"Here's where the Muggles come in." Hermione continued. "Voldemort has this spell that enables him to call all dark creatures to him. He doesn't necessarily want them but it helped Lucius get to be Deputy. He let the information leak into ministry and now they're rounding up all dark creatures who haven't been drawn to Voldemort. If the dark creatures are magical they keep them in Nazi like confinement. All muggle dark creatures they kill on site."

"There are no muggle dark creatures." Angel said. I silently agreed.

Cordy drew her hand to her mouth as tears formed in the brims of her eyes. "Yes there are. Werewolves are considered dark creatures, and believe me, there can be muggle werewolves. I knew one in high school, and right now he's in England."

"Oz." Angel said. "Hermione what else is going on over there and is any of it directly affecting the US, or going to in the near future?" 

"Ron's dad was dismissed." Hermione answered sadly.

"Oh God." I muttered. That wouldn't bode well for the Weasley's. Fred and George's joke business had to do well now. 

"As far as I know the Auror's branch of the ministry hasn't been infiltrated and all I can say about that is thank god for small blessings. There're rumors going around that Fudge will dismiss the dementors from Azkaban soon, that won't be too good. I'm not sure about you're last question Angel, right now America is a veritable sanctuary for us European wizards and witches, just as it was sixteen years ago. I'd expect an overflow of magical folk within the next few months, maybe years."

I looked at the two adults. "From the sound of it you'll want to get your friend out of there. This is awful, how did Malfoy get the Deputy position in the first place?"

She paled. "The former deputy, well, she was found in the Thames…in six pieces."

"Is Hogwarts still safe?" asked Angel.

Hermione cracked a brief smile and said, "Dumbledore hasn't cracked under any pressure. The school will still be opened for the fall semester."

"Does the general magical public know about the muggle killings?" I wondered.

"Even if they did," Hermione said. "No one dares state their loyalties in public now. Dumbledore has a substantial number of people on his side though, and we have to have confidence in him. He's Dumbledore after all. We'll all have to be careful. Voldemort will be…after us. Especially you, Piper, and Harry."

"Any sign of Pettigrew?"

"As always he's seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth." 

"What about dad and Remus? Are they ok?"

"Remus is resisting the spell, but I'm worried the ministry will come for him soon. A toucan delivered the last letter Sirius sent Harry. They live in South America, so I'm assuming that's where he is."

"Sirius is in Asia somewhere near Mongolia." Angel informed us. "Hermione I'm glad you came, you can stay for as long as you'd like. I'm sure Adrian would be glad to show you a room."

Cordelia stood. "I'm going to write to Oz. I want him out of Europe, and I know Buffy, Willow, and the rest of them will feel the same way. You two can call Sunnydale."

 As well all left the kitchen I noticed the headache was back. It was going to take more than Advil to get this settled.

*~*

I'd taken Hermione into my room after we tried calling Sunnydale (the line was busy). We'd turned on the television but we weren't really watching it, it served more as a distraction from life. We were talking; Hermione was telling me more about what was going on in England, and we were catching up with each other. 

"Current crisis non pending, how've you been?" Hermione asked nervously, her feet dangling from the bed. I couldn't help but think how cute she looked like that. "Adrian?"

"Things've been interesting," I answered honestly. "I want to work here after Hogwarts. It's great."

She cast her eyes downward. "If things keep up the way they're going it'll probably safest to work here anyway. I certainly wouldn't recommend going into the ministry. You've talked to Angel about it?"

"Yeah," I started to say more but the phone rang, interrupting me. 

Hermione reached over my legs and pressed the speakerphone. There was another beep meaning Angel, Cordy and everyone else were probably on from the office. 

"Angel Investigations, we help the helpless," Fred said from the other line.

"This isn't a business call," answered Buffy. "Did Hermione get there ok?"

And so started the largest and longest conference call I'd ever been part of. It was loud and unorganized at first, with everyone speaking over each other, insults being traded *cough* Xander, Spike, and Angel *cough*, reunions taking place, and arguing *cough* Ron, Harry, and Draco *cough*. Finally Dawn out-yelled us all and told us to shut up and speak one at time. Hermione and I got comfortable (we knew we'd be there awhile), and business began to take place.

Before Lucius Malfoy became Deputy Minister there had already been plenty of Voldemort supporters working within the building. People like McNair the executioner, or Goyle who worked in the Werewolf registry department. They didn't have a lot of power. McNair couldn't just go executing who ever the hell he wanted or anything like that, and the Ministry wasn't exactly throwing people at him for dementors kisses. He got to kill animals, big whoop for a Death Eater who liked to kill Muggles for sport. The only person the ministry had authorized the dementors kiss to be given to in the past six years was dad, and McNair didn't even get to see that happen. Lucius Malfoy had been Deputy for less than two months and the dementors kiss had been given to three criminals in Azkaban already. Most of the public didn't know this but Draco and Ron's dads had both told them. 

It was amazing how all this could happen between June and August. Voldemort's supporters were organized, and they let no one gain proof that they actually were in league with him. The only ones who truly knew were the aurors who's fought during the last war, and of course Harry. He'd seen them all when Voldemort had regained his body. Cornelius Fudge was stupid though, and he wouldn't listen to Dumbledore when he told Fudge what was going on right under his nose.

While we knew that alone we could do nothing that would directly affect the state of the ministry, there were some things we could do. Willow was insistent that she would get Oz out of England if she had to drag him out herself. I didn't ask but I assumed there was some sort of past relationship there. Cordy and Willow were commissioned to magically expand Spike's underground apartment outside of the Forbidden Forest. Spike and Buffy didn't trust us kids to go back to Hogwarts alone and not get into any trouble. They'd go to England along with Dawn and the babies to watch out for us. Dawn was shocked by this but then squealed and yelled something about Harrods. She wouldn't go to Hogwarts (though she probably could've considering she's a key to the universe and used to be a giant ball of light and everything), they'd find a private school once they got there. The Watchers Council was not going to like the slayer leaving the hellmouth, but when Hermione pointed that out Spike said 'screw the Watchers'. Xander and Anya were staying in Sunnydale, and could hold down the fort for a while, but how long?

*~*__

_Dear AJ,_

           Before you hung up on me and we had the major crisis phone convo I was trying to tell you something important! Adhara came back this morning. My week 'bonding' with my demon was supposed to be up, but is it? Of course not. Damned sadistic bitch decided that since I seemed to be finally accepting this part of myself she couldn't take it away from me in good conscience. I get to be Piper-demon until the day we go back to England. She claims that to fulfill my part in the world I have to be fully comfortable with my whole self. I am slightly PO'd here.

_I don't get Xander at all! Before this whole thing with Adhara happened we were fine with each other. Sure there were a few cracks about Spike being my uncle but I was able to go right back at him reminding him that he is after all in love with an ex-demon (who by the way is so like Candra it's scary).  But now he's gone cold, he doesn't talk to me at all. I know it's the vampire thing, he's even gotten worse to Spike, and you heard him, Spike, and Angel today on the phone. Put them together with the way Draco, Harry, and Ron were acting and you got your self a mini version of World War Three. I've tried talking to him but he insists there's nothing wrong. He's such a bad liar.               _

_                               Luv,_

_                                    Piper _

_Dear Oz,_

_          I'd call but you didn't leave number, we only know you're in England and I know Elmo (the owl) will be able to find you. This is urgent, you have to leave Europe NOW!! There are people hunting down and killing human werewolves. You can send a letter back with Elmo. Pease leave and come back to Sunnydale. We're all worried._

_                     Love,_

_                           Willow_

_Dear Professors Chase and Rosenberg,_

_                                                              I ask you not to inform Piper and Adrian of this information. I have sent letters to Sirius and Remus as well so you needn't worry about alerting them. It has been discovered that Peter Pettigrew has succeeded in framing another innocent for murder. We received the news a week ago but had to examine the evidence to confirm it to be true. _

_Sent to us by an anonymous source it had been confirmed that Leandra Murdock is indeed innocent of the murder of Livia Black in 1980. Peter Pettigrew was able to forge the note found by Sirius that night. We still do not know if Leandra is dead or alive, but no one has seen her for the past seventeen years. She would be thirty-six. I would also ask you not to tell her son Hayden Murdock about this as well. Albus will tell them all when he feels that it is time. _

_If you receive the Daily Prophet then you know some of the recent turn of events within the ministry. I urge you all to be careful in these coming times._

_                        Respectfully yours,_

_                                                 Minerva McGonagall  _

_Dear Piper,_

_               Can't write much, just wanted to say craziness is ensuing in England. Also, can you remind Adrian to bring his guitar to school? Lord knows I'm going to need some music this year._

_                    My karma ran over your dogma,_

_                                                                 Candra J._

_Snuffles,_

_           The search for you has stepped up, but despite this I must ask you to return to England. The League Against Voldemort will start once again and for your chair to be one of the many that will be empty would be grave indeed._

_               Yours,_

_                       Albus_

A/n- I really hope you like this, 'cause it's NOT as good as I think it could be. The little hellion that lives with us (also known as Kristian my eight year old brother) has recently decided he wants to do whatever I do. This includes running around the house belting (off key) the words to the song that Spike sang during the musical episode (note I do not scream this song at the top of my lungs I just happen to like it and sing it privately in my room in front of my Spike Shrine). I was forced to listen this for the whole time I was writing, and then when I was editing with my friend. If you live without a little brother I envy you.

Coming attractions include…Draco and Ron fighting, Social Services people, We find out if a portkey stop is like a truck stop on the highway (maybe), A premature trip to England, and Oz (maybe…I think *ponders* I have this whole mini story line planned out for Oz *grins*.As Candra might say…'he's soooo lickable').

Alas I must go now 'cause it's time for my two-hour block of television, Boy Meets World, Family Matters, Smart Guy, Boy Meets World. That is truly heaven.

                    -MJ Parker


	3. Default Three: Piper

A/n- School starts in a week! *Pulls out hair* September fourth I have to go back!!! But on the plus side going back to school means shopping! I got these awesome combat books from delias *screams* they're just like Spike's!!! of course going back to school also means a slight decline in chapter frequency. When school comes about I'm afraid that I one or two chapters a week will be my maximum. Oh well, on to the chapter now…

Chapter Three: Piper- Going back

I almost burst a gut from laughing when Ron walked into my room for the first time. His jaw dropped when he saw all the posters standing still, no frog spawn creeping from corners (his mom made him clean that up), no owl or wand. He was able to entertain himself for ten minutes by poking various comics trying to make the characters move. I let him do this until the jabs became so hard that I started to fear for the lives of my precious comics. 

Thirty minutes later Harry was suggesting that letting him continue would've been a good idea. Harry and I sat together on my bed and watched Ron and Draco go at it like there was no tomorrow. I knew the hate was deep between them, but damn, they were shouting curses (words, not magic) I can't even repeat. Draco could out curse any sailor, and Ron had probably worked himself up to Spike's level. Ron had the right to be angry at the Malfoy's I could give him that, but pretty soon I'd have to remind them that there were children in the house.

Dawn's sudden presence at the door stopped them. She had the biggest grin on her face I'd ever seen. The twins were each in an arm. She deposited Damon with Draco and Will with Ron. Harry watched with a cocked eyebrow wondering what was coming next.

"You two, burp them!" Dawn said, grabbing me off the bed. "No more cursing and don't kill each other. Piper you're not moving fast enough!"

"What is going on?" I asked as I was half dragged down the steps. For a fleeting second I though something terrible had happened to dad or Remus, but then Dawn's over hyper voice broke through my thoughts.

"I saw Spike with a box from Tiffany's!" 

"Uh…and?"

"Then he asked me to take the twins, and he and Buffy are alone in the kitchen."

"Tiffany's, twins, kitchen?"

Dawn sighed in exasperation and we sat on the stairs. "It was a small box from Tiffany's, like a ring sized box. That kind of box. As in, possible-engagement-ring-type-box! We sit here innocently on the stairs and when they come out of the living room we take a look at her ring finger."

"Engagement ring!" I exclaimed, and then grinned.

"You owe me five bucks!" She danced on the steps until Xander and Willow came in from the front door. They bore bags of snack food and obviously wanted to head for the kitchen. Dawn and I jumped up and stood in front of them. "Work zone, blocked off." Dawn said, spreading her arms wide.

"Milk, spoils quickly," Xander said, indicating a bag in his arms.

I held out my arms. "We'll take 'em."

Willow gave as an odd look. "I think we can handle opening up some cabinets and the fridge. What's going on?"

"Love is in the air, we don't want to spoil that, now do we?" Dawn asked rhetorically.

"Are the two responsible adults shagging on the kitchen counter again? That's wouldn't be good 'cause the social service guy is parking her Cadillac." Xander tried to edge his way around Dawn again.

"You…" Dawn looked at his face. "You're not joking are you. Not good! I think Spike's proposing!"

"He's proposing?"

Willow, practical as always finally got around Dawn and dragged Xander with her. "She's going to want to see Piper. Piper, you now have the Chicken Pox. Go upstairs, and tell Harry and the others not to say anything. Dawnie, you get the twins, we'll go make sure he has that ring on her finger and unlock their lips."

"He's proposing!" Xander seemed to be stuck on that as Dawn and I ran back up the stairs.

Back in my room, Draco and Ron had finally stopped screaming. Now they'd been reduced to sitting on opposite sides of the room glaring. It was really quite scary. The twins had settled down into the nooks of their arms. Dawn grabbed them and then hurried back out. Ignoring the boys I stripped down to my bra and panties and jumped into bed under the covers. 

"I have Chicken Pox." I said shortly, trying to arrange it so that my hair fell across my distorted face. If the social service guy insisted on coming up here I didn't want him to see my face immediately. I knew that my yellow eyes shown through my hair, but it didn't really matter. 

"Chicken Pox?" Draco and Ron said at the same time, then glared.

Harry elaborated. "Muggle thing. What's going on Piper?"

The front door down stair creaked as it opened and I put a finger to my mouth motioning for whispers. I wished I had a place to hide them, but they weren't about to fit in the closet or under the bed. We'd just have to hope. "The social worker is here. She checks up on us about every three weeks. Apparently even though we're all well taken care of the state of California still thinks were malnourished or something. This was not a planned visit which was probably the point of the whole thing. They want to catch us in 'natural state'. Do you three have wands, just precaution of course. A small memory charm just incase anyone sees my face."

"Do these people check up on your brother?" Draco whispered.

"I don't think so. He's considered an intern, and because of that I guess they just don't care as much. Also Angel has obvious means of supporting a teenager. Buffy and Spike get their money from the Watchers." I stopped as my ears caught voices from down stairs. It was muffled but I knew it was Spike talking. They were near the stairs. "Ron, pass me a comic or a magazine. If anyone comes up, you guys are here because you haven't had the Pox yet so your parents want you to get them before you get too old."

"That's ridiculous!" Ron protested, handing me a dated Starlog Magazine. "Why would-"

Highly audible footsteps on the stairs cut him off. Buffy was also coming up. I could hear her asking if this was really a good idea. Finally there was a knock on my door.

"Who is it?" Years of faking sick to get out of school paid off. My voice sounded convincingly pathetic.

"Piper dear, it's Mrs. Stapleton."

Her voice really grated on my nerves. It was one of those sugary sweet voices that you're grandmother might use as she pinched your cheeks. In fact she looked like somebody's grandmother, right down to the black orthopedic sneakers, and she smelled like smoke. Actually I think she was only about fifty, but she looked at least seventy. Oh well, that's what drugs do to you.

"Come in." I said, again making my voice slightly scratchy. Mrs. Stapleton walked in slowly with Buffy treading at her heels. I saw her breath a silent sigh of relief when she saw my hair falling over my face. It was definitely enough to fool someone who was so obviously squinting anyway. I had to hide my bright grin when I saw a beautiful diamond sparkling on Buffy's ring finger. Not that I would say it aloud but it really was about time.

Buffy reached forward to take the older woman's arm. "See, Piper's fine. Just a small case."

"She can tell me that," said Mrs. Stapleton. "And who are these young men? Piper, I thought you were sick. They shouldn't be here."

I pulled the covers higher around me. "That's Harry, Ron, and Draco. We all hang out together at school. And I am fine, really!" Ron looked ready to barf when I said that we were all friends.

"Where did she catch the Chicken Pox?" she asked Buffy.

"Sean down the street just got over them and Piper's babysat him a lot this summer." Buffy said quickly.

Mrs. Stapleton pulled out my desk chair and sat down primly. "And what about school, are you ready to go back? You attend private school in Connecticut right? Miss. Summers, are you sure this is proper reading material for an intelligent young lady such as Piper?" 

Buffy and I gained identical scowls as Mrs. Stapleton flipped through my comics and magazines. "Whatever Piper reads is her choice. We don't want to dictate her life."

"Yes, but a firm hand is needed at times." She clasped her hands together. "With four children to raise you must be sure you are able to care for all of them. Example: Piper please put your hair into neat order."

I shrugged. "I'm really comfortable right now. If I move then the itching will start up y'know." She seemed to understand and I was home free. Then I did the stupidest thing ever. I heave a huge sigh of relief. Air streamed from my mouth blowing my hair to the side. 

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" I muttered while Mrs. Stapleton was running from the room.

Buffy was startled giving the social worked the four extra seconds she needed to escape from the house. By the time Buffy had reached the foot of the stairs Mrs. Stapleton had started up her Cadillac and was speeding down Revello Drive. From my room (where I was currently hitting my head against the headboard of my bed) we could hear Spike and Xander run from the kitchen trying to find out what happened. 

"Don't worry Piper," Harry didn't sound much concerned. "Who could possibly believe her?"

"Any Death Eaters in the area," Spike said, suddenly appearing at the door. "Pet, cover your knickers and meet us by the fireplace. We'll be going back to England early this year."

*~*

I suppose it's important for the headmaster or headmistress of any school to know exactly what's going on and when, but Professor Dumbledore took it to the next level. He knew almost everything that went on the Hogwarts Grounds and obviously some ways off them, seeing as he was waiting for us in Spike's underground apartment when we all arrived there an hour later.

It was amazing the transformation that had taken place there. Willow and Professor Chase wouldn't have to do anything. No longer was it only a bedroom and kitchen. We'd ended up in the kitchen, which had been expanded noticeably, and when I got around to exploring later I found three extra bed rooms, a full sized parlor, and a rec room. But at the moment I was staring round the kitchen that now included a stove, larger fridge, and a microwave. There were counters and a table with three chairs and two highchairs. Professor Dumbledore sat at one of the chairs and in another was a boy about my age whom I didn't recognize. 

Even though I knew that it was underground it was very hard to believe. It would be like living in a highly comfortable world war two bomb shelter. I couldn't help but think of the movie Blast From the Past; the one where the guy lives in a bomb shelter until he's like twenty then comes out into the real world. 

"I thought you would be coming," Said Dumbledore as we waited for Dawn and Willow. "I took the liberty of fixing you an appropriate abode. I hope you don't mind."

Buffy shook her head slowly. She was still looking around amazedly. "It's wonderful."

"Whoa, what happened to this place?" Willow stepped out of the grate with Dawn, wiping soot from both of their clothes. She looked about appreciatively. "No work for me and Cordy then. This is great!"

"I'm glad you like it. I understand you plan to spend the year here." Dumbledore smiled. He indicated the boy next to him who had been so silent it was easy to forget about him. "Professor Chase wrote me and asked that I collect an old acquaintance of your. I believe you know Daniel Osborne."

The boy looked up and I blanched along with Buffy, Spike, Dawn, and Willow. Harry, Ron, and Draco looked very confused at _our_ confusion and since they weren't really in the know about the whole Willow and Oz thing I couldn't blame them. Willow had dated Oz in high school and he'd been older than her. Now he sat at the table looking no older than sixteen, my age come September.     

"Hey Will." Oz looked at Willow rather sheepishly.

"Oz!" Willow crossed to him in two large paces and was kneeling by him. "W-W-What happened? Y-You're, you're Piper and Dawnie's age!" 

"I believe," Dumbledore said, standing and walking to the hearth. "That's I will leave you all to discuss this amongst yourselves, no doubt you all have many questions for each other. I would like it if the adults came up to the school when you are done. Harry, Ron, and Draco, I'll say naught on your various excursions but I do urge you to return to your homes before some one becomes worried. And Buffy, Spike, congratulations on your engagement. I do hope the wedding goes along with out distress." With that he flooed out of the room.

How Dumbledore could be so calm while everything seemed so odd, but somehow he did and I had to give him brownie points for that. He didn't even ask about the obvious demon I was wearing. There were a few moments when everyone just looked at each other not knowing who should talk first. Buffy was the one who broke the silence.

"You boys should get home." She said. "Your parents are probably sending out the police right now."

Ron blushed. "Mum thinks we're in the village down the street. But she'll skin us alive if we don't get back soon. C'mon Harry." They through some Floo powder from the mantel into the fire place and stepped in yelling 'the burrow'. Draco stepped forward next, and disappeared after kissing me on the cheek and promising to write. 

"Dawn and I'll take the twins and find rooms." I elbowed Dawn when she started to protest. "Right Dawn?" It was painfully obvious that the older ones needed to talk, and they could probably do it better without us there. I took Damon from Spike and Dawn took Will from Buffy, then we headed out of the kitchen via the long hallway.

The hall led to the parlor which was connected to the rec room. The parlor had another hearth. A couch and coffee table were in front of it, and there was a small wooden rocking horse in the corner. It looked magical but I didn't stoop down to check, and the twins were exhausted so they showed no interest at the moment. There was a hall leading out from the parlor but we opted to go into the rec room first. Spike's old TV was in there and his Passions tapes were piled up next to it. There were two toy chests, a large couch, and an easy chair. The walls in here were green and the floors carpeted. The parlor floor had been wood.

There was another hall leading from here and we walked up it quickly finding only a bathroom and shower. Returning to the parlor we headed up the corridor there. Here there were doors lining the walls. 

"And behind door number one," Dawn joked, swinging the first door open. It was a beautiful blue room lit by various lamps. A large mobile swung gently from the ceiling casting shadows on the walls. "Hey you guys, I think this one's for you." She said to the babies. Both stretched their arms out to the two cribs at the far wall. We obliged, walking over and placing them in the cribs. Both were asleep almost immediately. 

I took one last look at the twins and said, "Let's find our rooms." Dawn nodded and closed the door of the room softly so as to not wake the twins. 

"Door number two," She said dramatically pulling open the next door in the hall. This one was obviously Buffy and Spike's room. There was a king sized bed in the middle of the room, two dressers and a huge walk in closet along with an adjoining bathroom. Miraculously all of there things from Sunnydale were there, right down to the last comb. "That Dumbledore guy is amazing." Dawn said. We continued down the carpeted hall. 

"Yeah, very." I agreed. The next room we entered was meant to be Adrian's. His stuff wasn't there of course, but I could tell from the way it was decorated. Blue and silver, his favorite colors, adorned the walls and fixtures. 

Mine was next. It was across the hall from Adrian. It was about the same size as my room in Sunnydale and all of my stuff appeared to have arrived. My old posters were even on the walls. I had a walk in cedar closet and a huge desk that was well equipped with pens and parchment. There was also a stand for any owls that might've come through delivering mail.

Once I made sure everything was in place we went back to the hall. The next door was another bathroom with a separate shower and tub. Next to this was Dawn's room. "Oooh! Mine!" She said excitedly hurrying in. Her vanity, bookshelf, dresser, and desk were there in appropriate spots. Her posters were up as well. Her bed was a large four poster like mine, with fluffy Peach blankets packed securely on.

"Are you sure this place used to be smaller?" Dawn asked flopping down onto the bed.

I nodded. "It was the same size as Spike's crypt back in the cemetery. Do you think they're done talking yet?"

"It's been at least a half hour. I think we can go back now, besides I have to know what happened to Oz!" Dawn said. We went back to the hall. "Last time he was in Sunnydale he was the same age as Buffy and Willow. Now he's all like us!"

"It had to be some sort of spell or something. Maybe it was the ministry acting in their normal stupidity." We reached the twins room and entered the parlor as I talked. "Ron told me about the time when his brothers took an aging potion to try and enter the Triwizard tournament. There has to be something that de-ages you. It's only logical."

In the kitchen it looked as if everyone was fine. Willow was reading the Daily Prophet while at the same time talking to Oz. Buffy and Spike were engaged in a conversation while Spike rummaged around the fridge looking for something to drink. I had a sudden dry feeling in my throat reminding me that I needed to eat soon.

"Hey!" Dawn addressed the room announcing our presence. We both dropped into chairs, placing expectant looks on our faces trying subtly to find out what happened.

"Are the boys asleep?" Buffy asked.

"Yup," I said. "Their rooms the first door on the left coming out of the parlor. They were really tired."

"Your room is right next to theirs. All of our stuff is here." Dawn volunteered. "So, uh, what's going on?"

Spike rolled his eyes. "I wondered how long it'd take one of you to ask that. So bit, what if we told you it was none of your business?"

Dawn's mouth dropped. "That's not fair!"

"She's right you know." Willow looked up from her paper. "They're all going to end up involved in this in the end whether we want them or not, so we might as well tell them everything in the beginning so they don't get surprised in the end."

"So what happened?" Dawn asked Oz. "That's Piper by the way, Spike's niece."

Oz sighed. "I ate dinner one night, went to bed and the next morning I woke up as a sixteen year old. Later I got Willow's letter and then your Professor Dumbledore guy met me in the lobby of my apartment and brought me here. He talked more about what had been in Willow's letter. Then you guys showed up."

"Wait," I said. "So they _really_ are killing Muggle werewolves?" It was a sickening thought, something I hoped the boys and Hermione had been mistaken on.

"Yes," said Willow, scanning an article. "They've got werewolves, veela, banshees, harpies, imps, some fairies, and vampires locked up. Ian McNair is in charge of their care and well being."

"Well I'll bet that bastard's just having loads of fun." Dawn grumbled.

"Dawn!" Buffy admonished. "Anyway it's looks like everything we were told is very true. Voldemort has initiated the spell."

"Yeah, he has. I can feel it. It's like a doorbell permanently attached to my head. There's this annoying buzz that goes off whenever it feels like it." Oz rubbed the back of his head. "It wants me somewhere."

"Red thinks some sort of botched potion meant to kill him might've been slipped into his food, instead it made him younger." Spike told us. 

I screwed up my face. "Do I hear all night book session coming?" During my summer in Sunnydale I'd become accustomed to the late night studying. It was a normal occurrence, but that didn't mean I had to like it.

"Here," Willow brightened pulling some books from under the table. "I already though of that. I've got enough for all of us."

Dawn and I groaned simultaneously as we all cracked open the books.

*~*

_Dear Remus,_

_                I was sad to receive news that Professor Delacour would not be able to rejoin us this year. While visiting Diagon Ally in July she was taken by the ministry because of her veela heritage. They are now holding her despite the fact that she is a citizen of France. This is just more proof of how bad things have gotten within our community. As you know Professor Delacour was the DADA teacher. It would be a great favor to the school if you returned as professor to take over in her absence._

_Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco took a small trip today which I will allow Harry to tell you about when if you choose ask him. The results of this trip were Piper, and her large extended family returning to Spike's underground flat, now a good sized house. Apparently they were fleeing from a muggle social worker who had the misfortune to catch glimpse of Piper's demon, another story I will allow you to acquire on your own terms. But I do have a feeling my old friend Adhara is once again playing with peoples lives in her own good natured way._

_The last time I visited you, you were doing quite a job of resisting Voldemort's spell and I hope when this letter finds you that is still the case. By taking the DADA  job the wards that Hogwarts has up would help dampen the effects of the spell quite a bit. It does so even slightly out side of the grounds for another werewolf that I brought to Professor Rosenberg._

_I hope to see you at the start of the term September 1st._

_                               Yours,_

_                                      Albus Dumbledore_

_Snuffles,_

_           Piper is currently residing outside the Hogwarts grounds with Spike, Buffy, and Professor Rosenberg. Adrian is still situated in Los Angles, California under Angel and Professor Chase's care. I do hope you are heading back to Europe. The League Against Voldemort needs you._

_                  -Albus_

_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

_                                            Maybe this isn't my place to pry, but I was wondering if anything new had turned up about Leandra. The news of her innocence is intriguing and my curiosity piqued. You don't have to answer of course, but I'd just like to know._

_                     From,_

_                          Willow Rosenberg_

_Dear Willow,_

_                Your question is perfectly valid and I will answer to the best of my ability. News on Leandra Black is scarce. We've asked many people over the past three weeks, but there are many black haired, blue eyed women on this earth so news is slow coming. So far there has been nothing definite, so as not to raise hopes I've said nothing._

_Also on the subject of your friend Daniel, I've found a potion in the restricted section of the library. It's brewed commonly by people who practice the dark arts. It's rumored to give you eternal life you imbibe a lot of it, but really to much can kill you. Of course I don't think the ministry meant to give your friend eternal life. The potion is very similar to a poison that causes death by constricting the veins leading to and from your heart. One only has to add a drop to much of the mug root and it changes from a death potion to the potion that gives the drinker a younger appearance. I believe that the potion make made a simple mistake that turned out to be a very lucky for young Daniel. There is one problem, there is no counter potion or spell. The victim is left to re grow from the period which he went to. I assure you though, right now Professor Snape is trying to put together a antidote, but I my self am not hopeful at the prospects._

_                Best Wishes,_

_                                  Albus Dumbledore_

_Spike,_

_      I'm coming back to England to join the League again. No one else knows yet. I was wondering if you could go 'round to Hagrid and get my motorcycle for me. He told me he had it stored somewhere, and I think it'd be good for me to get it back just incase I need it.  _

_              -Padfoot_

_Professor Dumbledore,_

_                          Please ask Professor Sprout to plant some extra Wolfsbane. I'd be happy to accept the DADA position. I'll see you September 1st._

_                        -Remus J. Lupin_

_Padfoot,_

_          Sure mate, I'll get the bike, but don't think I won't be taking it out once or twice before you get back. I've seen pictures of the thing and it's bloody nice. Nicer than my old one._

_                      Spike_

A/n- You like? I've got this whole thing planned out! Ok, coming attractions: Gunn finds something interesting at the nest, snogging, Oz/?? see I told you I have his story all planned, Adhara, school starts, corrupted ministry, and the mysterious Leandra. Please R/R this chapter. The next one will probably be out Thursday, maybe Wednesday. Depends how my life goes and if all my fave TV shows this week are one's I've already seen. Speaking of TV I gotta go, Aladdin's on and it's the one where Mozenrath first appears *squeals and hugs picture of her fave Aladdin villain*. Some times I think I'm about ten. See y'all later.

*~*


	4. Chapter Four: Adrian

Chapter Four: Adrian-

"You're overreacting! I'm not trying to be a stick in the mud here, but it was only a few snippets of conversation. You don't know exactly what's happening."

"Staying places unneeded suspicion. She saw it. They'll be coming here next. I know it. I know you think Divination's cracked, but you have to trust me on this. Two of them are coming. They're going to ask me dozens of questions then take me from here. I won't be able to go back to Hogwarts. They'll give me to what's left of the Initiative and I'll end up being sliced and diced like Spike was."

"Divination is not a guarantee. You don't know that that's going to happen."

"It's not gonna happen Herm. I'm able to see certain parts of the future. I saw what was going to happen if I stay. I love it here, you know that, but I don't want to end up as the Initiative's newest pet project! I talked to Cordy, she hasn't seen it, but she says I should trust my instincts, and my instincts say go to England and stay with Spike and Buffy."

"But Adrian, you don't even know if they're there! Eavesdropping is never completely reliable. Stop packing!"

"You stop taking my stuff out!"

I grabbed a pair of jeans from Hermione's hands, accidentally snagging my fingers on the locket she wore around her neck. My fingers touched the small gold chain the world flashed in front of me. Another vision. 

A brief flash of a woman. Brownish hair flowed down her back. Her clothes were witches robes and she sat at a desk inside a stone room. She smiled warmly at a child who walked up to her and pointed to a scraped knee. It healed when she spread her hands across it. Hermione's locket, or something like it, was around her neck. A man who's face was completely blocked suddenly appeared. They embraced and kissed. The vision ended with that, and I found myself slumped against the side of my bed.

Hermione was clutching me to her, her hand gently feeling my forehead. "Adrian, are you alright? I'm so sorry I yelled! I hope-"

"Your locket," I said, reaching out to touch it once again. "Where'd you get it?"

"Mum brought it for my birthday. The local jeweler sold it to her." She looked concerned. "Did it do something to you? What happened?"

I closed my eyes trying to recall the details. "It was a vision. There was a woman, a witch, in a room. It might've been the Hospital Wing at school. I couldn't really tell when I saw it. She healed a kid, a first year maybe, then kissed a man."

"Do you think it was the past or the future?"

"I dunno." I shrugged, as we both heard a knock at the door. "Come in."

Angel walked into to the room, shutting the door behind him. He eyed the mess on my bed from the previous frantic packing. His gaze slid slowly down to Hermione and I. It was then that I realized I was basically in her lap. We both blushed as we hurriedly got off of each other. She smoothed her jumper back into place while I tied my hair back trying to act like nothing was going on.

"Leaving?" He asked with a cocked eyebrow.

Hermione answered quickly. "No he's not, he knows it's safer here, don't you Adrian?"

"Cordy was convinced otherwise, and since Adrian was listening outside the door while we were talking I'd guess the idea popped up in his head too." I scowled as Angel spoke. I'd been perfectly quiet out side the door, yet he'd still heard me! And Cordelia had spoken. Of course I hadn't said anything about it being a secret… but still. "I guess I was right." He finished.

"If I stay I become a scientific guinea pig. I'm leaving." I stood, and started to throw the rest of my things into my trunk.

Angel held up his hands in defense. "I'm not stopping you."

"You're not?" Hermione and I both asked.

"Cordy told me about the visions. You can go if you think you'll be safer with Buffy and…him. I'll fax them, and tell them you're coming." Angel grimaced at the thought of Spike. "If anyone does come for you we'll that you've gone back to school early."

"See 'Mione, everything'll be perfectly fine." I stroked her hair as I spoke. "You've got the Floo Powder right?"

Hermione sighed heavily. "Yes I do. I suppose I'll help you pack."

*~*

We arrived at the underground apartment an hour later after stopping to rest somewhere in Massachusetts. Hermione was the first to Floo in with my trunk. I came in next and was bowled over by my sister when I'd barely taken three steps out of the fireplace. She pounced on me, knocking us both against the wall. My head hit the stone painfully. I think it was meant to be a hug, but it was like being caught in a vice.

"Nice to see you too Piper." I said while concentrating on pushing down the demon that wanted to come out with the pain. "Missed you."

"Yeah, me too. I wasn't expecting to see you for another three weeks." Piper finally released me and now just grinned widely. After greeting Hermione with the same exuberance she literally dragged us out of the kitchen. What I saw during this process was impressive. Either they'd had an interior decorator come along with a couple of bulldozers, or some one with a wand had done a great job with the place. 

Piper showed me my room after we talked for a while, and then took Hermione off to do whatever it is girls do upon being reunited. I decided not to bother them, as I had no desire to find out. Unpacking was easy, because in my rushed packing I'd only grabbed some essentials figuring I could ask Cordelia to send the rest over once I was settled. I stuffed a few clothes into my drawers and went back to the hall to see if I could find the adults or Dawn. 

The place was quiet except for the occasional laughter from Piper's room. I found the twins asleep in their room but not Buffy, Spike, Dawn, or Willow. They were probably at the school. I was tired, but didn't want to fall asleep incase anyone came in, so I went to the couch in front of the TV and made myself comfortable. Some of Piper's Transfiguration books were on the small table next to the couch and I randomly took one and started to skim through it. The topic was Self-Transfiguration. I was flipping through random pages until one caught my eye. The one on Animagus Transfiguration. Closing my eyes, I shut the book and didn't look at it any further. 

The idea of becoming an animagus had flitted through my mind hundreds of times since last year. I'd read up on it, but hadn't told anyone, because it would either cause everyone else to want to 'help' me, or I would've gotten the lecture of my life on not looking for unnecessary problems. Even not telling anyone, dad still gave Harry, Piper, and I a talk at the end of the school year about how we shouldn't try to follow in his footsteps in becoming one. He'd made us promise that if we wanted to we'd wait and do it legally when we graduated. Piper and Harry seemed to have no interest in it anyway and took the lecture to heart, but I was still curious. I didn't know exactly why, but I wanted to, and I didn't want to wait. It was probably the whole jokester complex in me.     

Rebelliously I grabbed the book up again and used the table of contents to flip to the animagus section. There was a pen and paper on the desk. The chapter was about one hundred pages and for a half hour I took more notes than Hermione on a typical day in class. From the research I'd done last year I knew most of the information in the book but I wrote it down anyway, and I copied the spell itself word for word. It was a complicated spell, but Transfiguration was my best course, and the more I thought about it, the more determined I was to pull it off, with no outside help.

As I scribbled down on the paper I heard voices in the kitchen. Spike was talking to Buffy about something. I kept writing until I heard heavy foot falls right behind me. At this point I stuff the papers into my pockets and laid down, pretending to be casually reading.

"'Ey Adrian," said Spike as he came into the room. He sat slouched in the easy chair across from me.

I looked up from the book. "Hey .Where were you guys?"

"Up at the school," Spike grinned. "So, Peaches get on your nerves and send you running back here?"

"No." I rolled my eyes. "In fact, I'm planning on working there after I graduate."

"Got you bloody brainwashed, the poof does." He muttered. "I'd rather spend time with Xander than Angel."

'The guy's in his 120's and he's still more immature than me', I thought sighing. "Anyway, so why were you at the school?"     

"Well Oz's been shrunk back to about age sixteen, so y'know that's always something to talk about. And there was some other stuff too." Spike ended vaguely. He looked suspiciously at the book I was holding and occasionally looking back to. I think in that moment he read my mind pretty well, because he looked at me and said, "Didn't you lot get a talk 'bout that?"

"Yeah," I said innocently. "It's just research."

"Research my arse." Spike smirked knowingly. "I won't tell anyone, but don't come crawling back to me when you end up turning into a fish or something like that."

I scowled at him. "I won't. Nice to see you have that much faith in me."

"Hey, I'm not telling your dad, Remus, Red, or any of 'em mate, but that's all I'm doin'." He said, pulling a pack of cigarettes of his pocket and a lighter. "So, how about we forget this conversation ever happened and you tell me why you had to leave Peaches, other than the fact that he was probably annoying the hell outa you."

"He wasn't… forget it" I trailed off realizing it would be useless to argue that point with him. He took a long drag and gave me an expectant look. "Fine, I listened in on the conversation when Buffy called to tell Angel you guys were leaving…"  I explained the whole thing to him stressing the parts about the Initiative, because I knew that would get his attention. 

"Good thing you left then," he said when I was done. "The Initiative isn't fun to deal with. You can ask me, and you can ask Oz, and we'll say the same thing. They're all bastards."

I nodded and started to get up. "I'm gonna go find Buffy and Willow to say hello."

"You forgot your book." Spike said, casually blowing smoke from his nose.

"Thanks," I said half glaring at the grin he was wearing. I took the book and held it close to my chest. Piper would get it back, one day. 

*~*

Hermione left two days later which good, because I knew that she would not think highly of what I was planning on doing next. Personally, I was quite proud of myself for actually being able to go through with my plan. I couldn't use magic, and that alone was going to make this complicated. Hoping he had a home to go to during the summer was very wishful thinking. Oh, what was I doing? Raiding Professor Snape's store closet. Am I a smart one or what?

There were some things for the Animagus spell I needed and I figured I'd get into less trouble going into his dungeons than I'd get crawling through the Forbidden Forest looking for the stuff. At least in the dungeons there wasn't any possibility of getting eaten by a giant spider or being trampled by trolls and giants. I could deal with Snape, and it was the summer, it wasn't like he had any authority over me yet. The worst he could do was hand me over to Buffy's wrath.

After saying goodbye to Hermione I told Buffy and Spike I was going up to Hogwarts for a while. Spike only leaned back in his chair smirking knowingly while Buffy grilled me with questions. They finally let me go after making me promise to be back by one. It was eleven in the morning and I figured two hours was more than enough time to get what I needed and avoid capture. 

I didn't go by fireplace, instead I walked through the forest to the back of Hagrid's Hut. He had a pumpkin patch where he was again growing larger than life pumpkins. When the bottom right fence post was twisted three times to the right and twice to the left two tree stumps at the very edge of the forest moved apart leaving a hole in the dirt. When you dropped down you ended up in a passage that led to the dungeons. It didn't show up on the map, I'd found it last year along with the Weasley twins. I figured dad and his friends had deemed it an unimportant passage seeing as it only led to the dungeons and Hagrid's Hut. 

Now I jumped down the three foot drop and hurried along through the darkness. It took five minutes at a swift jog to reach the end. There was a ladder to climb up into a dungeon corridor. A stone from the hallway floor moved when pushed up from the bottom. I popped up after making sure no one was walking around and walked to the right, towards Snape's offices. 

The smells coming from the potions lab almost knocked me over when I opened the door. It was all I could do to keep from throwing up. No one was in the lab, but three cauldrons were simmering indicating that someone could come back at anytime. With that in mind I crossed to the back of the room, stopping at the door to the stores.  I threw one last look over my shoulder and ran into the room. Once in I shut the door behind me and delved into the list of ten materials I needed. 

I had little plastic bags that I wrapped the things up in and stuffed into my cargo pants. Snape would know if anything was missing, so I had no delusions about managing to fool him on that account but just the same I took exact amounts and as little as possible. 

"What the hell are you doing?"

The voice wasn't Snape's, it was too feminine for that, but it had the same silky quietness of Snape's voice and certainly the same scare appeal. I cursed myself for allowing someone to sneak up on me. It hadn't happened all summer, it could've meant death.

I turned around and found that the words had indeed come from a woman. I guessed she was maybe somewhere in her thirties. Her arms were crossed and her lips were set in a thin line almost resembling Professor McGonagall. She had brown hair that wasn't natural; I could see the black roots. I think I might've been taller than her but she was wearing wedge sandals under her red robes so I couldn't tell. In her hands she held a small smoking cauldron. She looked almost like the woman I'd seen touching Hermione's locket, but I didn't ask.

"Well?" She stared at me. "Who are you, and what the hell do you think you're doing?"

I opened my mouth to say my real name, but then on a whim I said, "James, my name is James."

"Well James," I gritted my teeth anticipating the normal shudder I experienced whenever anyone called me James, but nothing happened. "What are you doing here?" Her tone seemed to have softened a bit but her face was still stern.

"I just needed a few things, for research. Summer homework and all that." I lied, using the same lame excuse Spike hadn't bought.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Professor Snape gave you permission to do this?"

"Yes." I lied again. "End of the school year."

"Then I suppose it's alright." She said. Even though she agreed it was still plainly obvious she didn't believe me at all. "Please hand me the Aconite." After I did so she put two leaves into the pot and looked ready to leave. "Nice to meet you James. For future reference my name is Wren Morela. I'm the new nurse, among other things." She turned and left the room, her red robes flowing out behind her.

A/n- Ah, finished. Did you like it, please tell me in the reviews. Oh and someone e-mailed me asking if Harry and Ron would finally get love interests. Yes they shall. For awhile I really wanted to make Ron gay (I don't know why, it was just a sudden impulse) but I decided not to. Harry will be with *truck rolls by honking it's horn* and Ron will lust after *air raid siren goes off*. Do you like? Oh well, gtg, my friends coming over and we're gonna have an Aladdin and Mozenrath marathon. Wheeeee! Please Read/Review!

                      -Kendra (AKA- MJ Parker. Why I just used my real name I don't know. I'm just in a highly euphoric mood)

*~*


	5. Chapter Five: Piper

A/n- Hey. I'm writing and listening to my Ja Rule CD. Life is good. As always please leave a review. Oh and Laurewen, you were right on one count. I had no idea who I was going to pair Ron and Harry up with. But I know whom Harry's going with now, but still not Ron. I was going to put him with Ginny, but then there came that pesky lil' problem of them being siblings. If anyone has any ideas, please leave 'em in the reviews. *Cackles* ha ff.n, that doesn't count as an interactive fic now does it. Mwhahaha! Oh, and if you people want to read an X-men fic of mine or any of my other (quite crappy) HP fanfic, check out the names Amori Kyle and Aphrodite Black. For Big Wolf on Campus (Lord forgive me for ever watching that show. It was a phase, I swear!) Fanfic check out Loonybin. That name also houses on of the best Peter Pettigrew fics I've ever written.  

On September first the first term of our sixth year started. It didn't make much sense for us to take the train so I was allowed to sleep in late that morning. I'd been up late the night before so I was tired. When I did awake it was around one in the afternoon. Out in the main part of the house (I call it a house, because, well…I just do. What else can I call it) I heard babies crying, people talking, and some, probably Adrian, playing the guitar. I rubbed my eyes, and flipped over to my stomach at the same time pulling the pillow over my head. But, when I turned I caught a whiff of lavender on the bed next to me. Lazily, I stuck out my hand blindly feeling for the cause of the smell. I grasped a white envelope with written in elaborate cursive on the front. The smell of lavender was wafting off of it. The smell on the inside was even stronger as I soon found out. Along with a letter, there were three sprigs of lavender, and two pressed African Violet petals.

_My Dear Piper,_

_                    Today is September 1st and as I promised you will now be able to remove your demon from sight. Your magic has been returned in full force. I believe you have accomplished what I wished of you, and I have granted you your souls desire. I decline to tell you what that is, but I know that if you dig deep enough you will recognize it without my help._

_I have helped Spike, and you. Now I move on to watch over your brother. He is attempting something admirable, and I will be with him as he sees it through. He will not see me, but I him. I have promised friends that I would look into the situation with your ministry, but rest assured I wouldn't forget any of you._

_                            Love,_

_                                 Adhara _

_                                Goddess of Demons_

The first thing I did after reading her letter about a million times over was pick my wand up from my bedside table and say Lumos. In the brightness of the room the light wasn't much, but it was there and that was all that mattered. After saying nox, I concentrated and shifted my face back to normal. My real face! I had blue eyes again, and soft cheeks. I didn't look like some sort of Klingon wannabe. No more blood! I was going to go to breakfast and enjoy pancakes (I didn't care that it was one in the afternoon) again. There was more to the letter, I knew that, and somewhere in my mind it was registering, but it didn't matter 'cause I was happy. And we're talking 'caffeine high' happy.

I grabbed some fresh robes and my boom box and ran into the bathroom. Twenty minutes later I emerged in navy blue robes, doc martens, and a skullcap. I think I almost skipped into the kitchen, and that must've been a weird sight because Dawn and Spike gave me the oddest looks when I came in. I ignored them and pulled down the pancake mix from the cabinet. Dawn started to say something about it being one in the afternoon while I flipped the pancakes on the stove. I held up my hand and shushed her as I poured a liberal amount of syrup onto the plate.

"Don't you have that feast in about three hours pet?" Spike questioned.

I dug into the food. "I'll eat there too. I'm normal again, see? I'm going to eat until I barf. You have bed head by the way."

"It looks cute." Dawn commented, smoothing his hair down a bit.

"I am not cute." Spike said with a half glare. "And you could've eaten regular food for the past four weeks. I do it all the time. Not our fault you decided to go on a bleedin' self torture binge."

"Did not." I doubt they could understand through my chewing. I swallowed then spoke again. "So you start school tomorrow?"

Dawn grimaced and sighed. "Yeah. I get to where a uniform. Plaid skirt an' all. Notice the joy in my voice."

"It looks cute." Spike said with a smirk. "Very preppy."

"There are times I'd like to hurt you." She said dryly. 

"So where're the boys?" I asked changing the subject. The sound of guitars was still going but had moved closer. The song was familiar and slightly annoying, but I couldn't place it. "And Buffy and Willow."

Spike recalled first and spoke. "Buffy's helping Red carry some stuff up to the castle, Will and Damon are napping, and the last time I checked Oz and Adrian _were playing the same damn song on those soding guitars over and over_." He yelled the last in the direction of the parlor. The response was the string being plucked purposely louder. "Cor, it's like some new form of torture. They're playing that stupid pop stuff."

"Adrian's playing pop?" I asked skeptically.

"Yeah, my request." Dawn grinned over a Spike. "I know how much you love the Backstreet Boys so requested it especially for you. They do know stuff by The Ramones and The Sex Pistols if you're so desperate for a change."

"Just make sure he takes that bloody thing with him when he goes tonight."

"He will unless he wants to face Candra's wrath, which is scarily like Anya's." I said.

Just then the steel door leading to the outside world opened and Willow and Buffy came in red cheeked and shivering. Fall had set in early around here and it was already wintry cold. They were each carrying some empty cardboard boxes. Buffy didn't look particularly happy, and her frown was directed at Spike. Willow looked somewhere between amused and angry. They set their boxes on the floor by the door and Buffy looked about ready to say something, but Oz and Adrian chose that time to come in with their guitars in one arm and a baby in the other.

"You want to get the formula luv?" Spike asked, taking the boys. Oz and Spike left without a word. Probably to go play some more.

"Don't you 'luv' me!" Buffy said, reaching for two bottles. "So, you thought I wouldn't find that huge contraption that you seem to have taken such pains to hide?"

"What?"

"Where'd you get it anyway? It's dangerous! You could get hurt. And what if one of the kids found it, and decided 'let's take a nice joy ride around the forest'. They'd get hurt. Then where would that leave us?"

Dawn leaned over to me and whispered, "Seriously confused here." I nodded in response.

"Buffy, calm down a little." Willow urged. "I'm sure Spike has a perfectly good explanation for this, right Spike?"

"Buffy, luv, I don't know what you're talking about." He said. "Really I don't. And think, have I ever kept secrets from you? Well, I have, but, oh never mind. What are you bloody talking about?"      

She shoved two bottles of formula into his hands and practically yelled, "The humongous black motorcycle sitting in the bushes about three feet away from the passage to get down here. The one screaming, 'take me, take me' or 'explore around here and see if there's anyone living here, then take me, take me. The one that Willow says is enchanted to fly. She checked! What if Dawn or Piper or Adrian found that and decided to take it for a spin or something equally as stupid. Actually scratch Dawn or Piper just Adrian, because you'd let him! In fact you two…_Adrian!_"

During this whole tirade Dawn and I just stared. 'It must be pent up stress' I thought, not daring to voice it aloud. Adrian poked his head nervously into the room and was met with Buffy's glare. He looked at Dawn and I and we could only shrug. 

Willow laid a hand on Buffy's shoulder and directed her to a chair. "You need to just sit for a second. Calmly. Don't move. Just sit." There was silence for a few seconds while every one let Buffy calm down.

"Hun, that's not my bike." Spike said finally.

Buffy looked up then let her head fall backwards over the chair. "It's… not?"

"No."

"Oh." She nodded slowly. "Okay, I'm going to plead hormonal imbalance, and apologize. Sorry about that."

My brother looked at Buffy and Willow and raised an eyebrow "Is this what happens when you're a female past twenty?" 

"Yeah," Spike answered. "And if you aren't pathetically whipped you can get away fast."

"Spike's whipped." Dawn and I said together. "So," Dawn continued. "Whose bike is that?"

Spike shrugged as if it was no big deal. "Sirius'. My dear nephew asked me to get it from Hagrid. He wants it back for travel reasons, but I'm not sure I'm ready to let him have it."

"Dad's back?" Adrian's eyes lit up.

"Maybe." He obviously wasn't supposed to have told us. "You lot get out. Go finish packing or something. The three of us have to talk… in private."

*~*

Three hours later I was sitting In between Candra and Hermione in the Hogwarts Great Hall. Ron and Harry were next to Candra and Adrian was next to Hermione. We'd been there for thirty minutes and they'd spent half of it making gooey eyes at each other. It was gross. Ok, maybe not gross, maybe I was slightly jealous. Over at the Slytherin table Pansy Parkinson was all over Draco. He wasn't exactly acknowledging her but he wasn't knocking her off either and the longer I watched the more jealous I got. His eyes hadn't even sought me out. And to make it worse Ron and Harry had seen and were giving me looks that toed the line at being 'told-you-so' looks.  

"…This year we welcome back Professor Lupin for Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Thunderous applause broke out from three tables around the room. I was completely oblivious as the thundering sound of clapping hands distracted me from watching Pansy paw at Draco. I looked up to the staff table to see who could've possibly caused so much applause. When I saw Remus I grinned and clapped along with every one else, Draco momentarily banished from my mind. 

"Madam Pomfrey sadly will not be able to join us this year as she has accepted a prestigious position at St. Mungos as head of the nursing staff. Replacing her will be Madam Wren Morela." A woman with honey brown hair inclined her head to accept the polite applause. "Madam Morela is also skilled at potion brewing and will be teaching for Snape when he is indisposed this year."

"Snape's gonna be indisposed?" Adrian grinned, and breathed what seemed to be a sigh of relief. His next words were muttered. "I hope she didn't say anything."

"What was that?" Asked Hermione, but Adrian just shook his head as Dumbledore went on.

"Hagrid has asked me to inform you that he's taken in a stray dog named Anubis. Many staff members have claimed that he resembles the grim, but I assure you all that he is a harmless and rather friendly dog. Please don't think you're going to die upon seeing him.

"As it is every year The Forbidden Forest is off limits and I urge you to stay away from the Whomping Willow. Schedules will be passed out tomorrow, but for now we eat." With that piles and piles of food appeared in front of us and we began to stuff ourselves silly.

Even knowing that dad was obviously Hagrid's new stray didn't raise my mood much. I was still stewing over the way Draco ignored me. Pansy had her fingers in his hair now. I was only one allowed to do that. Hermione noticed my perpetual frown and followed my gaze to the Slytherin table. After seeing Pansy she put her arm around my shoulder.

"They were seen at the Midsummer Ball. Together." She said softly, and gently. "Their parents seem to think it's the perfect arrangement, or so they told the Daily Prophet, obviously so does Pansy."

I dug into some chocolate ice cream. "Their parents?"

Hermione nodded. "Both families have a history of dark arts and they're both sickeningly rich. Also Mr. Parkinson is Mr. Malfoy's right hand man as you might say. In their view, and the oblivious public eye it really is the perfect match."

"But he's my soul mate. We're supposed to be destined for each other in each life time and all that nonsense." I said, almost sniffling.

"And if all that is true, you won't let that Slytherin hoar get your way." Hermione said in a rare fit of passion. Then she blushed. "She's always been so mean to me, her and Millicent." I agreed, remembering some select times last year when they'd started cracking on me. "I'm not saying that Draco is my most favorite person in the world, but I really don't think he'd leave you for her. The Halloween Dance will be here soon. If he doesn't ask you to that, then you can start to worry. Look, he's not even responding to her constant touching."

Her words and the chocolate made me feel a little bit better, but I still worried. Would Draco and I go back to the way we had been the year before. Then the soul mate principal would go back to being the soul mate curse. We'd have to make contact everyday again. The fighting in class wouldn't be acting, but real.

"Miss. Granger? Miss. Black?" Again voices tore me from thinking about Draco. Hermione and I turned around together. Madam Morela stood behind us. She swept a thick strand of hair behind her ear before continuing. "If you're finished I would have you accompany me to the Hospital Wing." She'd said if you're finished, but in adult speak that always means come now. We both knew that so we bade our friend's good-bye and followed Madam Morela. I took one last glance over my shoulder at Draco. His hands were in hers and she was talking a mile a minute about something she was excited about.

"Don't look." Hermione hissed, turning my head to look at the Morela's back as we stepped into the halls. "It'll only make you feel worse. You two always meet for coffee, you can ask him all your questions then."

"But he never mentioned her when he visited. And she wasn't in his letters. None of this was."

"Shh, Piper." She said sympathetically. "Forget it. You're only giving the portraits more gossip." It was true. As we talked the portraits were ignoring Morela and leaning towards us. Moat likely it was like a soap opera to them. They caught the gossip, discussed it with the other pictures, and then followed us around the school to catch the rest of the news.

We walked in silence the rest of the time behind the woman's billowing blue robes. When we reached the hospital wing she unlocked it and ushered us in side. With a wave of her wand the place lit up with a warm glow. It hadn't really changed from Madam Pomfrey's reign but there were more flowers scattered about the room. Otherwise it was the same down to the last perfectly made bed. 

We sat in chairs that scooted out to great us, Hermione looking expectantly at the new nurse all along. Morela produced three teacups and a kettle of steaming water out of thin air. She poured tea, and sat sipping luxuriously for a few moments, like a cat lying in the shade.

"Your summers were acceptable I hope." She said in a conversational tone. Her voice was tinted slightly with a Scottish brogue sort of like dads, but I also detected French maybe, and something that sounded like American drawl. It was all coated under a high-class English accent, a direct opposite of Spike's voice.

When Hermione and I answered with only nods and monosyllables she went on. "And you have heard about the new direction the ministry is taking?" When we only nodded again she asked a question. "What are your opinions on their methods of stopping dark creatures from joining Voldemort's service?"

"We…err, we don't agree?" Hermione stuttered, seemingly hoping that this was the answer Morela wanted. "It's not right, what t-they're doing."

"Do you share this opinion Piper?" Morela asked me.

Slowly I nodded wondering where all this was leading. "Yes."

"I believe that these are truthful responses." She concluded. "You needn't worry or be nervous. Finding your stands in current events was just something I felt the need to do before proceeding. Professor Dumbledore assured me it wasn't necessary, but I believe in always hearing things from the source. That, my dears, is a valuable lesson that I suggest you take to heart. Any questions so far?" We just looked at her dumbstruck with no clue what was going on.

Morela muttered a spell and a table with fruits appeared before us. She gestured for us to eat. We were full from the feast so we didn't, but Morela picked up an apple and bit down. "This year select sixth and seventh year students have been chosen to partake in special training that can benefit themselves and the world in whole. They've been chosen pending their skills. The training subjects are Potions, Animagus Transfiguration, Medi-Witch Training, Charm Inventing, and Hand To Hand Combat. Every one of these except for Potions are not usually subjects taught at Hogwarts, and are taught only in times of need. This, with the current state of things, is one of those times. You are the only two selected for the Medi-Witch course. The training is to help you utilize and improve upon skills you already have in this field. If all goes well by the end of the year you'll be ready for the next step. That comes when you graduate. You will be asked to join The League Against Voldemort if he is still causing us problems. If not the training will benefit you in other ways."

"I-Is this mandatory?" Hermione asked, when Morela's speech was finished.

"Every student has the option to back out. But they are not allowed to tell any one about the program. The perks of joining are far greater than the ones of abstaining. Piper your brother has been selected for the training in combat, and your friends Harry and Ron will be attending extra potions classes with Professor Snape, and sometimes myself."

I had to stifle a giggle at that. Harry and Ron would be completely thrilled I was sure. "What does this training include?" 

"It's a study of human anatomy, healing charms, spells, and potions, and will include helping me care for patients later in the year when I think you're ready. You would come during your free period in the afternoon everyday for two hours. Not all of the courses are at the same time though, I know that Charms and Combat are being held at night."

"I think I'd like to do it." I told her.

"Me too. It's an honor to be picked for such a program." Hermione said.

Morela smiled, and indicated we could rise. "That's excellent. You won't be sorry, I assure you. Come during your free period tomorrow and we'll have a look at your schedule to set up a regular time slot."

Still a bit overwhelmed, Hermione and I left the Hospital with speculating in whispers over what this could mean for us.

A/n- Happy Labor Day! Hmmm.do we say 'Happy Labor Day'? I really doubt it, but have a happy one anyway. School starts in two days, and I've just realized I don't have seventh period class. Instead I have study and lunch at the same time. How am I supposed to eat Burger King everyday if I'm supposed to be in study? I mean, that's the best thing about starting high school. I can be a junk food queen again, complain about my weight with the rest of my friends, and then have some else say if we were any skinnier we'd be anorexic. Then we beat that person, and start the cycle over again. Oh boy, that sounded like it came from the mouth of someone who's had one to many Arbor Mists. Annnnnyway…I'm thinking that since it's going to be my first day at high school EVER it's gonna take me a few days to settle into the groove, so let's say I'll try to give you and update by Thursday on through Saturday. Check during those days and maybe you'll see something. Lets remember though, I'm on New York City time. When it's five pm here, it's twelve pm there, so if you live out side my time zone just be patient.

Upcoming attractions include… Harry/Dawn, Ron/??? (Don't worry I'll find someone who isn't Parvati or Lavender), Oz/??? (I know who he's gonna go with I just don't wanna say yet. And it isn't Willow!), Draco and Piper have relationship problems, Sirius pops back in, Spike…teaching?????, Angel comes for a visit (I'm thinking Christmas, but I'm not sure yet), Candra hosts Quidditch matches, and lots 'a other stuff, including my really big climax scene that doesn't come till the very end but I've been thinking about a lot. 

Well, this is a damn long authors note, so I'm going to say…Peace out my brothers and sisters. I've must go watch Boy Meets World.

             -MJ Parker

*~*


	6. Chapter Six: Adrian

Chapter Six: Adrian- The One Who Calls Me James

A/N- Sorry, very sorry for the delay. High school is well, big, very big. And VERY tiring. I've never been sleepier in my life! I tried to get this out by Saturday, but it just didn't work, but now it's Sunday night and I have the urge to write after watching Charmed. I tried writing on Saturday but instead I started working on my buffy/x-men thingie which is crapitie-crap-crap. Ok here's five pages which is all I could do. Please R/R. Thanx 

Monday night September second stared as one of the crappiest days I'd ever experienced. That morning, through owl post, a letter came telling me I was to go to McGonagall's class that night a six o' clock. At first I was afraid Spike had told someone about my Animagus study, but then I saw Ron and Harry had equally odd notes asking them to report to Snape's dungeons at three. Since they couldn't have possibly done something to warrant detention they puzzled over the notes, and groaned about spending extra time with Snape. I can't say I envied them. 

Our first class was Divinations, while the girls went off to Arithmancy. Harry told them that now that Professor Treawlny was gone, they'd probably enjoy the class. But for reasons we couldn't figure out Hermione and Piper liked working with numbers and found Arithmancy easy. To us it just looked like random numbers jumbled together with no significance what so ever. 

Cordelia (actually Professor Chase now) had moved us on to crystal balls this semester. As she taught I could see the grimace underneath her fixed smile. She knew that to her any everyone else in this room all that was in the crystal balls was gray fog. Given a choice, she'd probably have been teaching about fortune telling demons, but that wasn't in the Hogwarts curriculum. Ron pointed out Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, who looked less than happy with the professors enthusiasm level on the subject. Then we went back to staring in the fog and writing out our supposed observations. 

"Having a statue fall on your head again I see." Harry commented.

"Yup." I said, resisting the urge to drop the ball on the floor. I loved Professor Chase very much, but this was pointless.

We had History of Magic next with Willow. We were back to being with our own years and houses this time, which was ok because I didn't really know anyone in any other years except for Candra and Ron's sister Ginny. The Hufflepuff Sixth Years were with us. Willow assigned another yearlong project. It wasn't as detailed or complicated as last years. We only had to keep a log of our lives from now until June, and then turn them in. She would also be assigning nightly homework on the subjects we covered in class. Goblin rebellions, giant wars, and different treaties were among those. 

Like Professor Chase she obviously didn't want to be teaching to those guidelines. But, as she explained to us when we all groaned heartily during this announcement, the school was under watch from the ministry and would be having visits from various representatives from the governor's board and the department of magical education at the ministry. 

She promised us though, that we could talk about current events at the end of class every day. This cheered some of us. Willow asked us to open our books, and she sat cross-legged on her desk and began to read the first exhilarating chapter on Goblin Rebellion to us. We all like Willow, but just the same, we were happy to leave her class that morning.

History was followed up by Potions. That was a total nightmare that I'm trying desperately to forget now. I was pared up with Malfoy, Snape kept giving me this look that said 'I know you were in my stores. it's just speculation and I can't prove it, but I'm watching you', and I didn't even have to set of a dungbomb and I got two detentions. Spilling some Mandrake leaves was worth one, and then Snape decided the potion was to green for his liking, and that it was all my fault. Malfoy got off on all charges of course. It was only because he was Piper's boyfriend that I didn't punch his smug smirk off his face. I figured she'd like to kiss him having his jaw aligned properly. I did have my revenge though. I threw a wet-start firework into a cauldron on our way out to lunch. Snape didn't catch me.

My afternoon schedule was lunch, study, Herbology, then my free period when I was supposed to go to the Transfiguration classroom. I hoped that Herbology would be more interesting than my classes that morning. I knew that Transfiguration and DADA would be fun I only had those four times a week this year and not on Monday. 

Dad was at lunch posing as Hagrid's stray. He gave us a dog-ish grin, but didn't come over. Professor Chase was giving him constant attention, food scraps, and belly rubs. I didn't blame him. I'd have stayed over there too. Remus (Arg, Professor Lupin. See this is the problem with being on a first name basis with your teachers) looked amused over the whole scene, and leaned over to whisper something to Cordelia that made her laugh and scratch behind dads ears.

"He's so lucky." Ron said. 

"Why?" Asked Hermione, her brow furrowed.

Harry and Ron blushed slightly. "Well, y'know…she's, well look at her. And Snuf…Anubis has got her all to himself."

"You two are such boys!" Piper rolled her eyes. "Do you lust after every female professor?"

"Besides she's with Angel." I said.

Ron sighed. "Adrian, how can you possibly not like her?"

"I watched Professor Chase and Angel canoodle in various corners around the Hyperion all summer. That answer your question?" I remembered various times I walked in on them making out, even though they claimed to not have anything between them but friendship. "It's like if Candra lived with Buffy and Spike for a week. Trust me, she wouldn't have a crush on him anymore either."

"Boy, nothing could make me stop liking him. He's what one considers a sex-god." Candra called out. 

Piper made a disgusted face. "Okay, this discussion is stopping right now. Next thing we know, you hormone raging teens will be after McGonagall and Snape."

For me, lunch was finished after that statement. Too many unwanted mental images were floating around in my head. Harry and Ron pushed their plates far away as well. The girls continued to eat until lunch was over and we all left the Great Hall in our separate directions. Hermione and Piper had free periods and went off in the direction of the Hospital Wing. Candra had Charms and headed off there. Ron, Harry, and I had study. Study was assigned to your choice of the Common Room or the Library. We gathered our stuff and started up the path to the Library. I figured maybe I could get some more books out on Animagi. 

"Hi Hayden." I said to the man at the front desk when we entered. Hayden was an official Watcher now, and his post was Hogwarts. He was also our cousin. I didn't know exactly what he did, but I assumed he stayed in the library and did Watcher-type stuff all day. Madam Pince almost certainly didn't mind as long as he didn't make any noise and kept everything he used neat. Piper had come to visit him yesterday after her top-secret trip with Hermione to the Hospital Wing. 

"Hello boys." He said, stamping a book. "How's the first day?"

"Snape has it in for us." Ron said, as if that summed up the whole day in a nutshell.

Hayden snorted. "He has it in for everyone. I was a Ravenclaw and he had it in for me."

"You also almost single handedly broke the Marauders total record of detentions for pranks. Yeah, Snape had no reason not to like you." I pointed out.

"Whatever." He replied. "Anything I can do for you?"

"It's study, and the Library seemed better than the common room. We'll just find ourselves a corner and talk a bit." Said Harry.

"Madam Pince is over that way, so I'd suggest going over there by the astronomy section." Hayden pointed to the section he meant. We made our way over, and quietly talked away our ninety minute study.

Herbology was unremarkable. Not unremarkable as in amazing or astonishing, but as in completely boring and sleep rendering. Professor Sprout spent the whole lesson going over the rules for Greenhouse Five. They were the same rules that applied Greenhouses four, three, two, and one, which we'd heard all about last year. 

So after this boring and seemingly horrible day I was quite ready for tomorrow. After dinner I was ready to go back to the dorm and sleep straight through next mornings breakfast, but I was reminded my Piper that I had to go to the Transfiguration room. I figured I should go see what it was about because Ron and Harry seemed less than willing to talk about their meeting with Snape, and Piper and Hermione weren't speaking about their trips to the Hospital Wing. When I told them I was to tired to go they started talking to each other in conspiratal whispers about what they'd been told. It worked, piquing my interest so that I lazily walked to the classroom and ended up getting a big surprise

*~*

There were two boys and a girl outside the class when I got there. One boy was a seventh year Gryffindor and the boy was a sixth year Slytherin. The girl was from Hufflepuff, but I didn't know here year. The lamps were lit inside the class and the door was propped open almost invitingly. I wondered why no one had stepped in. When I looked back to the other students I noticed the girl looked petrified and both boys were at least slightly scared, but held their fear from showing on their faces by masking it over with worried and glaring looks. 

I stood there with out speaking for at least five minutes. The other three held their silence as well. From the room, there was the occasional crash and sometimes I swore I heard a throaty growl, like two animals fighting. When I laid my hand on the doorknob the Hufflepuff grabbed it and shook her head frantically.

"You can't go in _there_!" She whispered.

I tried to peer into the room again but the propped open door only provided a sliver of spying space. A loud shattering made me back away from the door once more. "What's going on here, I got a note-"

"So did we." Said the Slytherin boy in an annoyed tone. "But we arrived here and they were in there fighting."

"Fighting," the seventh year confirmed. "But Headmaster Dumbledore passed by and said we should remain until they finished."

I'd given up an early slumber for this. "Who's fighting?" I asked with a sigh of exasperation. 

The girl turned a pale shade of white, and her fingers began to tremble. "T-t-there's a…there's a vampire in there!"

"Vampire?" I asked, blinking.

"Yeah, blond hair and fangs." Said the Gryffindor. "Not that scary if you ask me, just took us by surprise."

I didn't say anything else. I reached out for the door again, and shrugged the girls hand off when she tried to stop me. Without opening the door too much, I slipped in and shut the door behind me. What greeted me was a vase, smashing about three inches above my head. I looked to the back of the room and saw that Spike had thrown it from underneath…Angel? 

The door was securely closed with a chair I wedged under it. Though the vase had come my way, neither of them had seen me yet or noticed the door opening. I stalked to the back of the room all the while thinking about various ways McGonagall would think to hurt them for destroying her room like this. Not that it couldn't be put back together with a spell, but I had the feeling if the didn't stop soon even that would take to long. 

Angel was in the middle of throttling Spike when I pulled him off. They'd broken a table in the processes of the fight and one of the splintered legs made a great threat to get them in separate corners. I wasn't planning on using it, and they probably knew that, but they listened anyway. Spike was the first to shift his face back to normal, and when Angel followed suit I dropped the makeshift stake on the remains of a bench. They both glared but at the same time looked like guilty kids. For their sake, I really hoped it wasn't one of their stupid and petty arguments because if it was they were going to get in trouble. Slayer trouble. Actually, they'd get in trouble even if it weren't some petty argument.

"Do I even want to know?" I asked with a sigh. They were to concerned about their glaring to answer. "What happened in here? Why are you two even in the school?"

"Supposed to be teachin' a bloody class." Spike muttered.  

"_You?_" I smirked. Angel laughed. "I mean, er, you're teaching a class?"

"You know anyone else around here who can teach fightin'? Not Peaches the Poof, that's for sure." Spike said as he searched for a cigarette and lighter.

Angel raised an eyebrow. "Note that he's the one teaching kids and smoking."

"Good point," I said dryly. "Uh, there're three kids waiting outside you know, and by now they probably think you've sucked me dry or something." I stopped and switched my glance to Angel. It was as if I hadn't really registered his presence before then. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Don't ask him that, he'll punch you." Spike threw in.

"Buffy and Cordelia wrote me." Angel said simply, then threw another glare at Spike. "Since Sit-'n-Spin seems to think he's got a class to teach I'll go. I'll talk to you later Adrian."

When he walked out of the classroom door I heard the girl out side give a small squeak of fear, but she said nothing else. Spike, cigarette still between his lips, went to the door and told them all to come inside. There was a collective gasp from them concerning the state of the room, and the fact I was alive and looked unharmed. 

"Sorry 'bout that, had visit from a friend." Spike said taking a drag. He stood at the front of the room looking very un-teacher like in his usual black ensemble starting with the duster and ending with his combat boots. The four of us sat on the only undestroyed bench kicking wood splinters at our feet.

"Are you a teacher?" Asked the Gryffindor.

"Yeah. My names Spike. I'm a vampire. If any of you got a problem with that you leave now." When no one moved he rubbed out the remains of his smoke with his boot and went on. "I'm supposed to teach you how to fight and be able to defend yourself so you can fight against Voldemort with Dumbledore when you graduate. By the end of the year you might be able to stake me."

Spike as a teacher. I wondered if the school was facing budget cuts. Or maybe Dumbledore really was going crazy. 

"Anyone here think they know how to fight? Not you Adrian." When no one responded he grinned. "I didn't think so. Well, that's what you're here to learn, and to use one 'a these." He hefted a crossbow that lay by McGonagall's desk to his shoulder. I grinned. In L.A the only weapons I'd been allowed to touch were the swords.

"Why are we the ones here?" asked the Slytherin.  

"Because your headmaster thinks you're the fighting type. And you're not the only ones; my fiancé teaches this same course during the day." Spike sat the crossbow back down and lit another fag. "The bloke that went outa here before will teach fencing. Not that he's great at it mind you, that ass-hole…" He trailed off taking a long drag. "Sorry. Don't like him much. I'm not gonna do anything with you tonight, so you can go. The room'll be clean tomorrow and we can start."

I remained on the bench as the other three left.

"Your dad said you looked dead tired at dinner. Go to bed." Spike said, when he saw I was still sitting.

"You and Angel are teaching?!"

"And Buffy. If you're going to be here, make yourself useful and start cleaning up this room before McGonagall gets back."

I started casting repair spells half -heartedly and watched as a few benches and desks started pulling back together. "So?"

"So what?" 

"Oh never mind!" I scowled. "Why's Angel here? Really? And why'd he call you Sit-'n-Spin?"

"Angel's here because Buffy, Willow, and Cordy called him over for the wedding. Now that he's here Dumbledore just figured that he could teach fencing in his spar time. And Sit-'n-Spin refers to what I call the Unnamed Wheel Chair Incident. Let's just say it involved an organ, a wheel chair, and pain."

"You guys set a wedding date?" I asked. "Why wasn't I informed of this."

"'Cause we decided it this morning. It's gonna be December 27th."

"Then why is Angel here now, September 2nd?"

"He punched me when I asked him that." When I gave him a disbelieveing look he amended, "Well I also insulted his mother, but he called my sister a whore."

"Ah," I didn't want to delve into that. "So can we expect random fights in classrooms for the next three months?"

"Depends if the bugger pisses me off." Spike grunted. "I'm heading home. The giggle fest should be over."

"Huh?"

"your sis and Candra went over to visit Buffy and Dawn for awhile. Piper wanted to introduce Candra and Oz."

I nodded and started to gather my things. Spike grabbed the crossbow and walked with me to the door. Professor McGonagall was standing behind the door when I pulled it open. Spike and I looked at each other then hurriedly excused ourselves from her presence and her class room. I had reached the staircases when I heard her shrill yell,

"Adrian Black! Get back here!" 'Geeze', I thought racing up the steps. 'didn't she even see Spike?' "William!" She called out. Ah that was better. It was a good thing we didn't have Transfiguration tomorrow. 

Mrs. Norris the cat stepped out of the shadows of the corridor. When she saw me she turned a ran off to the left, probably to Filch. I groaned, Filch would be there any second and he'd take me back to McGonagall. I pulled open the first door I saw and went in. I hadn't noticed that it was the door to the Hospital Wing. 

Madam Morela glance up from her desk when the door slammed behind me. She cocked an eyebrow and laid down her quill, looking just like dad when he wanted to know something. 

"James isn't it?" She asked in her strange voice.

Again, I waited for the customary spasms that came with the name James. They had gotten worse since the Drusilla episode. I was relieved when nothing happened, but it made me wonder even more about her. Taking a look at her in the hospital made me sure she was from my vision. The desk was the same, and in this light her hair looked the same honey brown shade. But still I could see her black roots, and her eyes held lines of blue color coming out of the brown. She was wearing contacts, or had a spell to change her eye color that was on the fritz.

"Adrian or James. Whatever." I said.

"I like James. " She winked at me. "So what can I do for you?"

"Actually I'm just waiting for Mrs. Norris to pass by." I didn't feel like inventing a story, so I stuck with the truth. "So, I'm just passing through."

Madam Morela stood and came from behind the desk. "Well that's good. Professor Dumbledore asked me to check up on your wounds from last year. To make sure they scared properly, and healed."

"They're fine." I said, not letting her lead me to a bed. I hated the scars on my chest and shoulders. They were long scars made slowly and painfully from rivulets of holy water. There were many of them, and they crossed in and out of each other making ugly patterns. The two scars on my back were in the shape of a cross. They were small, but they'd burned harshly. On my neck were Dru's bite marks from when she'd tried to turn me. They were barely visable now, but I knew exactly where they were. Only a few people I seen all of them, and I wasn't comfortable showing them. 

I hadn't had them checked on by a professional since Madam Pomfrey had treated them. Fred had tried to get me to a doctor, but I always refused. I told her there'd be to many questions. She relented and gave me Advil whenever they started to bother me or become stiff. That didn't happen much any more, and when it did I ignored it.

"Don't worry James," she said touching my arm. "It won't hurt."

"I'm seriously fine. They're just scars."

"C'mon," the madam applied more force and directed me in the direction of a cot. When she finaly got me to sit down, she sat next to me. "You'll have to take off your shirt."

"Are you really sure about this?" I didn't look directly at her. "They're not pretty."

She moved her hair from her right shoulder and pulled up the sleeve of her robe. It revealed a jagged looking scar from her shoulder to her elbow. "Werewolf back in '75, seventh year. He killed my best friend as he changed after raping her. We all have scars."

"I'm sorry." It sounded lame, but my mouth felt sand dry. "So you're a…" I trailed off, not wanting to pry too much.

"No," she shook her head. "It's a scratch from a claw. Hagrid found me and clubbed it before it could do anything else."

I pulled off my shirt and turned to my back on the bed. Morela placed her wand on the bedside table and ran her fingers softly over the holy water scars. When she reached my shoulder she took her wand and seconds later I felt a gentle warming sensation. The muscle under my skin shifted itself into a different position and suddenly it felt looser than it had since last June.

"Fine eh?" She said massaging my shoulder until it felt normal again. "The muscle had been eaten at by the water. I assume it occasionally stiff?"

I nodded sheepishly. "A little. I took some muggle stuff."

"No one took you to a doctor?"

"Didn't want one. Fred and Angel really wanted me to go though."

"You take after your father don't you?" There was a sarcastic note in her voice now. 

"You knew him?" I asked cautiously.

"Know him. Anyway, why didn't you let someone take you? That would've given you a lot of trouble in a few years." Morela said, absently rubbing her own scar.

"They're embarising." I said sighing. "I mean, I was trussed up and tourtured for two weeks. Would you like to admit that?"

"The logic of teens." She rolled her eyes. "James, they shouldn't be emebarising. None of that was your fault. It was that bitch Drusilla and the bastard Pettigrew, at least Dru's gone now. And you'll get Pettigrew one day."

I flipped to my stomach, so she could view my back. "We hope."

She traced the crosses and the few other scars on my back with care. On my neck she found the bite marks and sighed. "For some reason it always happens to the young. I'm going to lighten the cross scars okay?"

"Thanks." I felt more warmth, and when I touched my back again the scars weren't as noticeable.

"It was my pleasure." Madam Morela handed me my shirt. "From now on go to the doctor, muggle or magical. Given three years that shoulder would've frozen on you." She smiled slightly at my involuntary shudder. "Good, maybe I've scared some sense into you. I'm late though I'm afraid. Professor Snape graciously offered to teach me in some more advanced potions tonight and it wouldn't do well to be late."

"Definatly not." I muttered.

"Oh, I didn't say anything to him about your little adventure in his room. I must apologize for my attitude that day, I wasn't really pleasant to be around."

"That's fine. I was asking for trouble."

"The ingredients you collected though, they were interesting. Usually used for self transfiguration potions." She gave a small smile. "If anything happens during your little experiment please come directly here. We'll keep it between us."

"More like between me, you and Spike." I said with a slight frown. 

"James, if you end up with rabbit teeth or a dogs tail just come here, okay?" she didn't wait for a response as she strolled from the room.  

*~*

A/n- I'm so tired. It's 10:21. I been writng for 1hr and 21mins nonstop. I'm fized out now, so I'm gonna go curl up with a romance novel that I shouldn't be reading. G'night everyone. 


	7. Chapter Seven: Piper

Chapter Seven: Piper- Slytherin vs. Gryffindor

"Good morning!" Candra said, setting herself down in a chair next to mine. Her voice dripped honey in gallons, and her smile could light up New York. Not that I wanted to cause her unhappiness, but right at that moment I was regretting letting Hermione talk me into introducing her to Oz. It'd been six weeks and the carefree happy tones of her voice were beginning to grate on my nerves like fingernails going down a chalkboard. Just because she had a boyfriend didn't mean everyone had to know about it. 

Candra and Oz were worse than Hermione and my brother. We'd often find them curled up next to each other, not saying a word. And when they did talk it was weird; they'd talk about how much they liked being together, then all of the sudden animal crackers or different types of mustard would make its way into the conversation. It was quite confusing and disturbing. The thing that bothered me the most was that they were truly in love.

Oh, and another thing, Harry managed to hook up with Dawn. When did this happen? How did this happen? Why did this happen? Beats me. All I know is that the second week of October Harry came walking into the common room looking smug and happy as ever (Harry looking happy about anything after six o' clock is a rare thing these days because he and Ron get to spend their quality time with Professor Snape then). Well Candra asked why Harry was looking so smiley after his extra potions lesson, and what does he say? Dawn agreed to go to the Halloween dance with him. Professor Dumbledore had even said it was okay. How do you like that?

It was of course already set in stone that Hermione and Adrian would go. Once Ron found out Harry wouldn't be going stag that night he ran around in a fervor trying to find a date. A very nice Ravenclaw fifth year agreed to go with him. She's pretty, nice, and smart. Just peachy. Everyone in our group was going with someone…oh, I see. You think I'm going with Draco right? My boyfriend, my soul mate, and even more importantly, my friend. Yeah right. He's going with Pansy Parkinson. 

Neville Longbottom asked me to go with him. Collin Creavy did too. So did half the other Gryffindor fifth and sixth year boys. I declined them all.

I decided Draco Malfoy was an ass. The problem with that was the moment I confided those words to Candra and Hermione I broke down in tears. Then they knew that my whole 'I don't care if I don't with Draco' façade, was just that a façade. Oh life is great, note the sarcasm oozing from my quill.

The truth was, I really did care. I cared that he was snubbing me in the halls instead of the small grin he used to give me. I cared that he didn't even look at me anymore, or meet me for coffee. I wanted to do something evil to him, totally evil. But every time I opened my mouth to voice exactly what I wanted to do, I stopped. I wouldn't wish idly. I didn't really want to do anything to hurt him, I knew that deep down, and since I knew that wishing aloud to hurt a man could actually work I kept my mouth shut. 

That didn't mean though that I couldn't do anything to the slut that took him away from me. For all of October Pansy found her bras magically chilled, her hair colors not found on this planet, pieces of various insects in her bed, and the writing on her homework mysteriously vanishing. It brought instant satisfaction, but not long term, because no matter what Pansy was still pawing all over Draco. And the more she did it, the more I saw him responding.

It was Wednesday morning. October thirty-first and the dance came tomorrow. My idea was to sit in the common room during the whole thing and think about my screwed up love life. Candra and Hermione had a slightly different idea. The weekend before had been the first Hogsmead weekend of the year. Harry and Ron had stayed in The Three Broomsticks with me. Candra, Adrian and Hermione had gone, dragging dad on a leash behind them. Seven butterbeers and sixty minutes later they came back bearing a beautiful red brocade kimono embroidered with flowers up and down. Something in my face must've given me away because they had me agreeing to wear it to the dance in five minutes flat. Candra even wheedled a makeover out of me. It wasn't until much later that I found out it was Harry and Ron's job to get me drunk enough to agree to anything. Even with as many butterbeers as I'd had I shouldn't have been in such an agreeing mood. Obviously they'd learned something useful in their extra classes with Snape

"Piper," Harry said from where he was cleaning his broom. There was a Quidditch match in an hour. "Do you know what kind of flowers Dawn likes?"

I sent him a harsh glare. Harry held up his hands in peace. "It was just a question. Just because you don't-"

"Harry!" Hermione said harshly. She sat on the couch with Crookshanks working on her Arithmancy paper. I hadn't even gotten around to starting mine and it was due Monday. How I'd get four feet of parchment done by then I didn't know. 

"Have any of you seen Adrian?" Ron asked. "He does remember he has a game today right?"

Harry looked up at Ron like he should die for even suggesting the possibility. "He'd better! You two are my Beaters! The team needs the both of you to play."

"The last time I saw him," I said, slowly stroking Aurelius' head. "He had gray streaks in his hair and was hiding his face behind his hands as he ran up to the hospital wing."

Candra snickered. "He probably spilled a potion on himself or something. Maybe got the business end of a hex."

"He was in the dorm all morning doing homework." Ron said. "I wonder what happened."

"He'd better show up for the game." Harry said with the single mindedness of team captain. Turning to the rest of the common room he yelled, "C'mon team, to the lockers." Harry led out Ron, Amanda Curtis, Logan Wagner, Beverley Troy, and Katie Bell, the last remaining member from last year's team besides Harry.

Hermione left with Crookshanks to put her things away and get ready to go to the game. Candra grabbed my arm and started pulling me out of my comfortable chair. Aurelius became a traitor and grabbed on my pants leg with his teeth and pulled as well.

"You promised remember?" Candra asked, her voice still bright. My glare held tight as I detached my puppy from my pants. 

I shook my head at her. "With the mood I've been in I haven't promised anyone shit. You know that."

She rose and eyebrow and continued pulling. "You're not getting out of it that easily. You said last year that you'd commentate the games with me. Lee left so now it's my turn and you promised to do it with me. The game is in forty five minutes and we have to get our cloaks and stuff then get out to the booth, so come on."

"Candra I really can't. Draco's playing today, remember…" I trailed off. My excuse sounded weak even to me. Now I wasn't letting myself be in the same vicinity as him. Oh, this was pathetic.

"Oh wow," Candra said dryly. "The Slytherin bastard's playing so you go back on a promise. You can do better than that."

"He's not a bastard." The words slipped out softly, but Candra heard anyway.

"Girl, get off the couch, and please get your cloak unless you feel like freezing to death."

"I don't want to see him!"

"Then watch Adrian for crying out loud! Hell, watch Marcus Flint, I don't give a damn. Just hurry up!"

Hermione came back from the dorm carrying my cloak. If looks could kill she'd have been six feet under. I stalked to Hermione and snatched my cloak, pulling it on roughly. Candra smiled pleasantly at me and patted my hand, nodding her approval. Hermione stood on my other side and together they led me out of the tower. 

I tried to look pleasant, really I did, but my face seemed frozen in a scowl, and my mood…well as Candra had put it I had a perpetual case of PMS. It just wouldn't go away, and it got worse when I saw Draco and Harry shake hands on the field as captains were supposed to do. Over in the Slytherin section Pansy Parkinson was waving fondly at him.

'_No magic at matches, No magic at matches, No magic at matches,'_ I repeated over and over in my head. I didn't even notice when Professor McGonagall put the _sonorous_ spell on both of us. Candra nudged me sharply in the chest indicating that it was time to begin and the whole stadium was waiting.

"Welcome students of Hogwarts to the first Quidditch game of the season!" Candra yelled, and everyone erupted in cheers. "I'm Candra Jordan."

"And I'm Piper Black." I said, trying to muster up Candra's level of enthusiasm.

"Since dear old Lee's gone it's our turn and we'll be here for the next two years, so get used to it." Candra continued. "This match is of course Gryffindor vs. Slytherin!"

At the cheers and jeers I felt slightly better. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. In fact I could probably vent some serious aggression. "Let's here is for our house team, Gryffindor!" Three quarters of the spectators exploded in applause as the team took a lap around the field. I noticed Adrian had made it and had no signs of whatever he'd done to himself earlier. He waved at us with his beaters club, and we waved back. 

"Now for those slimy, sneaky, err," Candra paused as McGonagall shook her head fiercely. "The Slytherin Quidditch Team!"

I, being the glutton self torture that I am, stared at Draco the whole time. Candra looked at me and sternly mouthed the word 'no', adding hand movements for emphasis. I nodded and went back to watching the Gryffindor team. Both teams flew to position and Madam Hooch released the balls into play.

"The quaffle is immediately caught by Wagner of Gryffindor." Candra launched into the commentary with excitement. "He passes to Bell, oh nice dodge there Katie, she shoots, ugh, ball in possession of Slytherin."

"Flint's got the quaffle, but has no backup whatsoever. Weasley of Gryffindor knocks the bludger straight at his head, of course if it hits there's really no more damage it can do…very sorry professor…Flint gives the quaffle to Riker who gives it to, wait forget that, Harry's diving!" I said, pointing up.

"Does Potter see the snitch?" Candra asked. "Or is it… it is! A perfect Wronski Feint. Malfoy almost ate dirt on that one, should've too! Curtis watch out, there's a bludger!" Amanda dodged just in time, and waved thanking Candra for her warning. McGonagall's face screwed up in a mix of anger and relief at Candra. "Ok now, lets direct our attention towards Troy of Gryffindor, she's going for the goal and…YES! Ten points to the best house on the field! Gryffindor!"

We both gave out identical whistles that sounded shrilly across the felid. "We're the best, oh yeah!" I said along with her. We whistled again as the balls went back into play. 

"Yes Professor!" I said when she told us to get back to our real jobs. "Black and Weasley get a bludger moving with a Dopplebeater Defense. It hits Malfoy right in the place where the sun don't shine, knocking him half off his broom, we all know that hurt. The same bludger rebounds of a Slytherin goal post and knocks Crusher of Slytherin almost clear off her broom. Great move boys!"

"Gryffindor's definitely going to win this one. Very obvious from the way…" she trailed off as Slytherin scored. "Damn bast…uh, damn, err, I'll just take the damn out of here ok professor? Anyway, stupid Slytherins! There I was making a speech and you lot had to go a ruin it. Adrian, bash their skulls in!"

"Yeah," I agreed, getting into the idea of cracking on Slytherin's. "And start with the white ferret up there!"

Candra pumped her fist up in the air. "Gryffindor scores again! Twenty to ten! Stick that in your pipes and smoke it!"

Over on the other side of the field Slytherin's beaters had both of the bludgers. Candra and I continued on our Slytherin dissing spree for the next ten minutes. They never let those wild black balls stray too far from them for the rest of the game. 

I was discussing the merits of being a Gryffindor with Candra and the whole stadium when I noticed Draco going into a sharp dive right to the center of the field. Harry saw too and followed. Everyone knew that this time it was no feint, and we held our breaths. Slytherin's two beaters didn't. They had gorilla arms an when they swung their clubs to hit the bludgers individually it was as if they'd done a Dopplebeater Defense. Both balls were obviously aimed for Harry but they missed by an inch. Instead they headed straight for us.

Candra jumped down and screamed. I closed my eyes and screamed. McGonagall told us both calm down and duck. I just kept my eyes closed and waited for impact. There was none. My eyes were still closed, and a roar went up around the crowd. People were chanting Gryffindor, and roaring. Harry had caught the snitch. We'd won. I opened my eyes. Promptly I screamed. I was above the field on a broom. My arms had instinctively wrapped around the person in front of me. Draco.

My heart beat faster against his back, and I clung tighter. Below I saw people looking up in shock. I could only guess what was going through their heads. Why had a Slytherin helped a Gryffindor, more importantly, why had Draco Malfoy? As I regained my senses I started to wonder the same thing.

"Are you alright?" Draco asked. I couldn't tell if he were actually concerned or just asking. He directed the broom downwards. I saw him look for somewhere to land where there was no one, and would be no questions. It was too late though. By then everyone had seen

"Yeah," I said thickly when we landed. "Yeah, thanks."

"Right well," he just nodded as the surging crow came towards us. "I've gotta go find Pansy."

My anger flared. "Fine! Go to your little slut. You think I care? I don't! And tomorrow night, we'll just see who's sorry."

"You can't do anything to me! My father will be there tomorrow. I'd like to see you try."

"I'm not talking hexes or curses Draco Malfoy," I spat, ignoring the growing crowd. "You'll be begging for me tomorrow night."

Murmurs swept through the crowd. I didn't give. So what if people knew about Draco and me. It didn't matter anymore. What mattered now was that I got Draco back, and I'd do it in front of his father. 'He'll be crawling', I vowed to myself. I pushed my way through the milling people and stalked back up to the castle.

*~*

Hermione and I informed Madam Morela we wouldn't be able to go to class that afternoon because it would take us awhile to get ready. Especially me. I had to look perfect. My plan was a shallow one, I was going to get Draco back based on looks. I felt justified doing it only because what he did at the Quidditch match proved he still cared. If I could get him jealous enough I'd have him back in no time. His father attending the dance with other ministry dignitaries would provide a slight problem, but nothing that a good hairstyle and extra eye shadow wouldn't fix.

The boys didn't understand with Hermione, Candra, and I retreated to our dorms at five in the afternoon when the dance was at seven, but the end result to our work was pleasing to them. The looks on their faces were priceless. Hermione was wearing dark blue robes that complement her hair nicely. It was pulled up with a few neatly placed tendrils hanging down. A tiara like headband topped it. Hermione's shoes gave her a good two inches, and she knew and had admitted to us that she wouldn't walk for days after. Her locket rested peaceful on her chest completing the outfit. My brother gulped tremendously when she walked over to him, but finally they kissed in a way that caused the rest of us to turn our heads.

Candra was wearing a slivery blue velvet dress and her hair was braided in tight cornrows that had taken the third year who did them two hours to complete. She had pieces of turquoise inserted in some of them and they finished the end of each braid. Her shoes were sandals with laces up her calves. Harry and Ron looked at her appreciatively, but then she gave them a 'look but don't touch' look and curved her blue fingernails into a claw shape. Candra had the longest real nails in Hogwarts. They're painful and I speak from experience. Ron and Harry wisely turned their looks away from them and up to me.

"Piper always has cleaned up nicely." Adrian said teasingly when Harry and Ron stared at me. "You'd never know it, but underneath she's very pretty."

I smiled at Adrian and came the rest of the way down the stairs. The red kimono fit just right and looked perfect with my hair swept up in curls. All of us had on makeup. Mine was gold eye shadow, thick mascara, and dark lipstick. I had on ankle strap heels, which like Hermione's would prevent me from ever walking again. Hermione had leant me a string of pearls that looked perfect against the dress. 

"Shall we?" Adrian asked, offering Hermione his arm. We all agreed it was time. Ron, Candra, and Harry were eager to see their dates. I wanted mine back. Yes, we were ready

We reached the main hall quickly. Dawn and Harry greeted each other shyly, but held hands as they walked towards the great hall. Oz and Candra kissed briefly before walking away. Adrian and Hermione were the last ones remaining with me. 

"Are you sure you don't want us to walk in with you?" Hermione asked anxiously.

I nodded. "All part of the plan. I'm cool, don't worry."

"You're crazy Piper." Adrian kissed my cheek. "Good luck. We'll be saving you a seat."

"Thank you." I said. They turned and walked into the hall.

I let a fifth year couple go in before me for effect. Ok, not really. I was a little nervous, but none too much. I'd do this, and it would work. Everyone had seen our little broom stunt yesterday. It had been the talk of the school. I could do this. Smoothing my dress, I stood straight, and slowly entered the Great Hall. There were eyes following me, and it made me jumpy, but it was good. It was what I needed. The eyes followed me until I sat down at my friend's table, and even then they remained. 

"He's watching you." Candra muttered, giving a small nod to Draco. "Along with several other boys."

"He'd better be." I replied. Out of the corner of my eye I looked over at him. He sat with Pansy who I had to admit looked good. She was wearing light green robes and blinding red lipstick. Up on the dais all of the teachers and the ministry guests sat. I saw Draco's father and had to take in a breath. Lucius Malfoy had the power to inspire fear in any sane person. Seeing him and knowing what I planned to do that night…well lets just say I almost crawled back up to Gryffindor Tower.

Everyone stood when Professor Dumbledore entered from a sidewall panel behind his chair. A polite applause was started by McGonagall and spread around the room by everyone but two. Lucius Malfoy and a thickset man I didn't recognize. He didn't look like someone I would want to get personal with anyway. When the clapping died and we all sat I almost missed my chair. There had been an empty seat at the end of the dais. Adhara sat there now. Dumbledore noticed her too, and nodded to her, smiling brightly. She returned the gesture, and then looked out over the students like the others. 

Dumbledore had to know her or she wouldn't have been there. She was dressed for the occasion in gold robes, so she probably hadn't just decided to come at the spur of the moment. She'd been invited. I grimaced; she was the last person I wanted to see. What would she do now? Expose Adrian and me as vampires in front of the entire student body? Either that or she'd try to ruin my mission for the night. Adhara turned and met my eyes. She nodded at me with a smile. I turned, refusing to believe she was actually there.

"I'd like to welcome all the students and faculty of Hogwarts to the Halloween Dance. A special welcome goes out to our guests, Deputy Minister of Magic Lucius Malfoy, and Allen McNair. We also have the pleasure of having the Headmistress of The Nairobi School of Mystic Arts, Miss. Adhara Rinaldi. I bid you all a good time." Dumbledore clapped his hands once and the candles dimmed around the hall, leaving a soft glowing light. A floating orchestra appeared in the air and struck up a fast paced dance. My friends were out on the floor by the second beat, but so was I.   

"Would you like to dance?" I turned to find a fellow Gryffindor standing behind me.

Thus starting a chain reaction. Word spread that I didn't have a date and various boys took turns dancing with me and trying to score a kiss, and some tongue action. It was only when I was dancing with Harry, Ron, and Oz that I tuned down the touchy feely-ness. I danced close with each of the other boys, making sure Draco saw me. He did. Oh boy did he. And he also saw when I started get Slytherin requests to dance. Four Slytherins asked me to dance. One I turned down because he was Vincent Crab and wouldn't touch him with a ten-foot pole. Also I watched when he danced with Millicent; his hands had a tendency to wander towards the nether-regions. 

After dinner was served I danced once more with Harry, then went back to the rotating lines of boys. It was around ten, and I was growing tired, but I was in good spirits. Draco was almost mine, I could tell. Well, I couldn't _tell_, but he was paying less and less attention to Pansy. It was obvious he didn't like me dancing with Duncan. Whenever I caught him glancing at me he wore a frown or a scowl. 

I was with Duncan Rasmussen, a Slytherin who had ended up with me for the fourth time that evening. We weren't dancing. He had suggested a walk around the garden paths. There had been fairies put in small silver cages to light the way. The flowers were all in bloom, some naturally and some induced by magic. They all glowed with an incandescent light that further aided sight. 

Duncan slipped his arm around my waist and when I didn't protest he drew me closer. I didn't mind…yet, and this was only because his arm was only at my waist. 'Or so I thought,' I noted, when I felt his hand on my butt. Now his fingers played on my throat as well. I did nothing, telling myself it was part of the plan, and if things went to far I was perfectly capable of defending myself. Sure I was in a kimono, heels, and had nothing but my fists, but I could do something. I stepped away slightly, but he kept his grasp firm. 'Now,' I decided 'I'm in trouble.'

When he kissed me it wasn't like the playful kisses the boys in the hall had given me. These were hard and forceful. Duncan held me at my elbows, so I couldn't move, yet far enough away so I couldn't get a good kick at him. I did not want to be with him here, or with him anywhere. And I certainly didn't want his tongue in my mouth. I felt like spitting. Instead I bit down on his tongue.

"Bitch!" He growled.

People say that aggravating your attacker isn't a good idea. My experience this summer had taught me this was true, but that didn't mean I listened to what my inner fighter was telling me. Besides I wasn't a naturally violent person. I'd only learned to fight because I'd been constantly attacked by vampires trying to off a Peacemaker. Duncan wasn't someone I could stake and turn to dust. He forced himself against me and put his mouth against my neck.

"Help!" I called, before he slammed his hand across my mouth. And to think, fifteen minutes ago this guy had looked cute to me. Funny how things change isn't it? I used my teeth again, this time on his hand. It had no effect as he grabbed my backside again and grinded himself against me. His fingers ran through my hair at the same time. I was getting scared now. Hadn't someone heard me call?

I tapped slightly into my vampiric strength and kneed his groin. I could smell the blood from where I'd bitten his tongue, and I had to work at pushing down my demon. I dropped to the ground and pushed slowly away from the intoxicating smell. Then energy exerted from keeping my demon at bay made it hard for me to get back up. Duncan took advantage of my obvious struggle and started towards me again.

"Hey!" Yelled a male voice. Duncan and I both turned to the gardens entrance. Spike and Angel stood together at the threshold. Both had glowing yellow eyes. I gulped with something near fright. They were pissed. Duncan saw the two vampires and quickly rolled away from me. I backed into a shrub, shaking.

"Are you alright?"

I nodded and leaned into the arms that encircled me. "Thank you so much Spike."

"What?" 

"You're not Spike." I said, looking over to where Spike was helping Angel teach Duncan a little lesson. I looked over my shoulder next. "Draco?"

"Yes. Are you alright?" He asked again. Real emotion had come into his voice.

"Yes. I'm fine. Just shaken." I leaned further back into his arms, finally feeling my breathing go back to normal. "Why did you come?"

"I was by the entrance and hear you yell. I knew Duncan would do something like this." Draco said, glaring at the now trussed up boy. Angel had flung him over his shoulder and was walking back to the school and a nice leisurely pace. Spike lit up a fag and followed, not before looking over at Draco and I. He blew a long stream of smoke from his mouth, and followed Angel.

"I didn't think you would care." I admitted.

Draco tensed. "You let him put your hands all over you just to see if I cared?"

"Well you can't blame me." I said, trying not to get upset. "You did come here tonight with Pansy Parkinson."

"Piper we couldn't have come to this dance together and you know it."

"Then you should've gone alone." 

"My father-" He started.

"I don't care about your father. This is all his fault. He controls you, and you go right along with it. Dumbledore offered asylum to anyone who needs it last year, and this year he reminded us the offer still stands. It seems to me that you need it." My voice wavered. "You let him break us up!"

"I never stopped loving you Piper, but this isn't my decision." He protested.

I squeezed my eyes shut in exasperation." Yes it is! You just said yourself, you love me. And I love you. What's the problem here?"

"My father and Pansy's father have agreed that our marriage would benefit everyone in the end." It sounded rehearsed and hollow to me.

"Bullshit." I spat. "Is the dance still going on?"

"Yes."

"Then we're going in. Together." I said.

"We can't. People already suspect something from what I did yesterday, no don't look at me like that, I don't regret it. But it's caused talk." He said, trying to hold me tighter. I resisted and pulled completely away.

"If you don't walk in with me right now, I will never talk to you again. I won't even look at you Draco Malfoy. I will hate you. You know what that means, the soul mate connection will go back to being a curse, we'll have to touch each other everyday again. And since I don't plan to be looking, talking, or having anything to do with you, we'll both die. Just remember that I loved you."

I walked away in the direction of the entrance. I'd walked five feet when I felt a hand slip into mine. I smiled at Draco, trying to convey some of my confidence. He couldn't return the smile, but I could accept that. He'd just made the choice to betray his father and ultimately accept Dumbledore's asylum. Nothing about that was easy. 

I will forever remember the stunned looks on people's faces when Gryffindor and Slytherin stood at the door of the hall, hand in hand. The Gryffindors and Slytherins were somewhere between shocked and appalled, and I don't think the other houses knew what to think. The just stared at us. Pansy fainted. Professor Dumbledore and Adhara were the only ones truly smiling. My friends had grave looks on their faces like they were expecting the end of the world at any second. Lucius Malfoy looked like he was ready to bring it. 

"I love you." Draco muttered as we took small steps into the room.

"And I you." I only now realized how much of a change this was for any Hogwarts student to be witnessing.

A/n- *yawns*, it's about five thirty on Sunday morning and I'm dressed for ice-skating practice, but I figured before the carpool gets here I'd upload this. God, I'm tired. Hmmm, this is off subject, but it anyone happen to see x-men evolution on Saturday? It was so good. Ugh, there's the horn. Gtg upload this. They can wait five minutes.

                          -A Sleepy MJ Parker


	8. Chapter Eight: Adrian Wolf Dog and Rat

Chapter Seven: Adrian- 

A/n: I know, I know, it's so late. I beg humble forgiveness. My teachers don't seem to understand that we have lives that don't revolve around them. I'm already worried about how much homework I'm gonna get tomorrow 'cause if I can't watch Buffy I'm gonna hurt someone…badly. Anyway, ignore the pervious violent outburst and please read and review my story! Thanx!

Madam Morela burst into almost spastic laughter when I walked into the Hospital Wing followed by five arguing pixies. Or at least they had been arguing. I'd put a muting charm on them within the first ten minutes of their non-stop chatter. They were now perfectly content hovering behind me like bodyguards or something. Creatures needing their problems solved had started to find me. Oh joy.

Morela's laughter was directed not at my horde of pixie groupies, but at the bulge sticking out from the back of my robes, my completely gray hair, and my face that was half human, half muzzle. 

"What's it this time?" She asked, dabbing at her tearing brown-blue eyes. "No wait, that's sort of obvious." She burst into another fit of giggles.

I directed a smoldering glare at her, and my eyes flashed yellow. "This isn't funny. Look!" Quickly I stripped off my robes, leaving only jeans and a tee shirt. When Morela saw the gray tail I'd acquired I thought she'd never stop laughing. She sank to her chair in hysterics. "Help please! I could've sworn I almost had it, but then these things found me." I indicated to the pixies that were still running their tiny mouths even though no sound came out. "It messed up my concentration and this happened."

"It seems," The nurse said between laughs. "That your shape will be a wolf."

"I figured that." I said angrily. "But the whole world doesn't need to know."

She smiled. "Don't be so tense James. So who are your friends?"

"I refuse to answer that until I look somewhat normal." I said stubbornly. "I have class with Spike and Angel in an hour, so I need to be fixed quickly. I always try to arrive first on the days when they teach. Seems to keep the tension down. You know how those two are. They're more immature than I am."

"So it would appear." Her laughter finally stopped as she appraised me with a doctor's eye. "Sit, actually you might want to stand because of that tail. So what happened exactly?"

"I stuttered in the middle of the chant, but," I said, my voice brightening. "I had fur already, and the muzzle was complete. When I stumbled though, a lot of it was I guess 'sucked' back in, like rewinding a tape. I was left with this. I'm going to kill those things."

"_Entrap_" Morela said waving her wand. At her word a brass cage appeared around the pixies. It hovered above us. "So, what did they want?"

"For me to decide which one of them got to breed with the dominant female."

"You're joking."

I shook me head." No."

"Keep still," she said taking my chin to work on my face. I felt skin slowly melding together. "What else has found you here?"

Now that was something I didn't even want to think about. "Lots. They just found me last week too. No one seems to want to go to Piper, they all want me."

"Speaking of Piper, how's she doing?" Morela asked with true concern. "She's spoke little about herself or her life since the Halloween Dance."

At the Halloween Dance Piper and Draco Malfoy had basically pronounced their love for each other in front of the whole school by walking into the Great Hall hand in hand. It'd happened after some Slytherin bastard had tried to ravish her. Piper and Draco were happy together, but the students of the school were on the other side. They were none to happy about it. Neither were Draco or Pansy Parkinson's fathers. It was rumored -I didn't even know the exact details- that when Dumbledore had taken Draco, Mr. Malfoy, and Piper up to his office that evening Piper had cursed like a sailor, at Lucius Malfoy. Part of me sincerely hoped that that was just a rumor. Since that night Piper had become kind of Oz-like. As in talking in monosyllables, and being reserved. Though when I caught her with Draco she was completely herself. Also with Spike and Buffy, but that was it. Something had transpired in Dumbledore's office that upset her greatly.

As the last of the muzzle vanished the hospital door swung open. I groaned as Professor Lupin walked in and promptly stopped to stare at me. Impending trouble lurked in the air. Madam Morela looked back and forth between the two of us clucking her tongue, almost reading to burst out laughing once more. Instead she continued to cluck her tongue and started on the course gray fur the covered half of me.

Morela looked at Remus and gestured over to the far wall. "The potion is in the cupboard Remus." 

"Thanks," he said slowly, his gaze still on me. Now he raised a lone eyebrow and a humorous glint raced through his eyes. "You look like your father after his first attempt, except the fur and hair were black."

"How much trouble am I in?" I asked sagely, dreading the answers and long lecture that dad would deal out. I heard a funny popping sound and when I turned around the tail was gone. Finally I was able to sit.

"Speaking as your professor or godfather?"

"The one that won't tell dad."

"They both would."

I grimaced, thinking. "Fine, the one that wouldn't tell Professor McGonagall."

"That would be your godfather." Professor Lupin paused to drink the smoking potion Madam Morela was forcing into his hands. He downed it, making a face. With that I knew it was the Wolfsbane potion. "I'll have to tell Sirius you know. Did you tell anyone else?"

"Only Madam Morela and Spike. And I didn't tell them, they found out." I grumbled. " Those stupid pixies know too, not that they're about to tell anyone"

"James has been doing very well actually." Morela said, with a smile. "A few mishaps of course, but he's only a sixth year after all."

Professor Lupin blanched when she called me James. I saw color drain from his already pale cheeks. "Did you just call him James?"

"I prefer it to Adrian, and he said it was perfectly alright." She said earnestly. "I understand the apprehension he experiences when other people call him James, and I certainly understand yours."

"Yes well," He took a breath. "Adrian I have to tell your father but rest assured I'll tell no on else, and I recommend that you don't either." 

"I won't," I said. "So how long should I avoid dad?"

"About a week," The professor and nurse said together. Morela gave a small smile. "I remember back when we were kids, something like this would've taken months, years even. There've been so many advancements since then…"

I sighed internally. The adults were about to start reminiscing. It was interesting at times, but I doubted this would be a conversation I wanted to hear. As my business was complete I bid the both my farewell and started to stroll out the door, purposely the hovering bronze cave. Morela just had to call me one it though; I groaned as I carried the cage of pixies out of the room. The mute charm was starting to wear off. 

I wished Fred were there to feed me Advil by the bottle. 

*~*

_Dear Mr. & Mrs. Winthrop,_

_                                    Please come pick Dawn Summers up from school this afternoon at 3:30. She, along with three others, is serving detention for abusing the school dress code. They arrived at school this morning with food in their berets. I would ask you to discus with Dawn the purpose of having berets._

_                          Thank You,_

_                                        Miss Stamp_

_                                               Gym Mistress_

_Xander Harris,_

_You are cordially invited to the wedding of Buffy Summers and William Winthrop on the 27th of December 2002 at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please RSVP by November 15th. Send all responses to Miss Willow Rosenberg at Hogwarts._

_Buffy Summers & William Winthrop_

_Wormtail –_

_              Lord Voldemort will have already informed you of our next major attack by the time you receive this letter, but knowing you it is probably better to review the plan in detail in this text so that I am sure you know. This cannot afford to be ruined by your bungles. It's ingenious really; the unsuspecting public will participate in a Death Eater plan with out even knowing._

_On February 14th (Valentines Day) it will be your job to take Daniel Osborne and Remus Lupin from Hogwarts. You have been picked for this job because of your silver arm the Dark Lord blessed you with. Use it to your advantage. You will bring your hostages to Diagon Alley, right in front of Gringots. After giving them to Sabine Harold, he will announce that they are two werewolves (which is true) that are conspiring with our lord (this of course is a lie). He will suggest to the crowd that the best way to deal with these creatures is a public muggle execution. If the crowd does not agree I will cast a mass hysteria spell, after that all he will have to do is repeat the suggestion again and the people of the Alley will be running for firewood and nooses. As the spell suggests it will produce mass hysteria and hopefully a mob. The two vermin will then be killed, satisfying both us Death Eaters, and the be-spelled townsfolk._

_Only two out of our ranks know of our plan. My son Draco, and his girl whore Piper Black. Draco will ensure that she keeps her mouth shut, and does nothing to jeopardize our plans. I would dispatch an assassin to kill her, or arrange an 'accident', but it would look too suspicious now, and her guardians watch over her carefully. There is something about them, that I haven't discovered yet, but I plan to. Piper arouses suspicions in me to as well as her brother Adrian. The night of Hogwarts' Halloween Dance she was able to keep off Duncan Rasmussen, a Slytherin twice her size, until help arrived. Apparently he was being too friendly with her. If you know something of this I demand the information as soon as possible._

_Do yourself a favor rat, and remember all the instructions within this letter if you value your life without pain and suffering. Do not try to further your position or ego by trying to take these two by yourself. I can guarantee that it won't work. You are not skilled enough, and our lord would punish you for mucking it up and giving the vermin and their friends a warning. If I had my way you would still be living in the sewers, you are but lucky that our lord has forbidden me to do you any harm._

_                                -L.M_

_Dear Anya,_

_           How goes it in Sunnydale? I'm good here, the break from constant slaying is nice. It makes one wonder how Buffy put up with it. Are you and Xander fully back together again? No, don't answer that, I'll find out when you come to the wedding. You are coming right? You have to, and tell Xander I said hello. I'd write, but he wasn't really speaking to me when we left. I need a favor though. I was wondering if you had a Chrystalia Orb in the Magic Box. I need to do a Wicca protection spell. I need something that can't be broken by our magic with out a lot of effort, and to do that I need that orb. It's very important._

_                           Luv,_

_                              Piper_

_Dear Adrian,_

_               We'll talk more about this during the next time I'm able to see you in human form, but for now let's just say you will be getting a lecture and I expect you to listen this time. There were reasons I told the three of you not to try this, like the clause in the spell saying 'you must complete the transformation one the first attempt has been made'. I'm going to assume because you're smart, you read that and knew what you were getting into. You have to accomplish the transformation now. Ask Remus for help, at nights though. And correct me if I'm wrong, but did I hear you didn't go to a doctor all summer for the burns you got last June. That's something I would've done, meaning it's stupid, and you shouldn't. You're a miniature me at times, which is fine, but use your brain. That's what it's there for._

_                    Love,_

_                         Padfoot_

_Piper,_

_       The orb is in the box marked fragile. It's fifty dollars but Xander says I shouldn't charge you, but that's fifty dollars I'm loosing, so you're going to have to work it off next summer. When you cast the spell the mist inside the orb turns magenta. When it goes back to brown or breaks the spell's up. Hope it works._

_           Yours,_

_                  Anya_

_PS- Shipping was fifteen ninety-five to Buffy and Spike's post office box in London. How am I getting that back? Wait, Xander's reading this and saying I shouldn't charge for that either. Ok fine, you're getting of easy this time. Oh and, we're coming to wedding. Willow should have our RSVP card by now. Clem's also coming. _

The Girls, Buffy, Willow, and Professor Chase, went into London on November 18th for dress fittings. Hermione, Candra, Dawn, and Piper just went along to watch and gush over how beautiful all the dresses were. No doubt there'd be major gossiping going on too. I didn't mind though, it meant Piper was reemerging into the world of the talking public. This was most defiantly a good thing. It had started when she'd gotten something from Anya. The letter had caused laughter and the package itself a look of grim determination.

That same night Spike was back at the house, probably indulging in alone Passions pleasure time, Dad and Remus were waiting for the full moon to rise along with Oz at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and who knew where Angel had gotten to. He could've been the poor soul the girls had dragged with them, I didn't know, but they'd tried unsuccessfully to get Spike to go. Harry and Ron were at classes with Snape, actually Madam Morela tonight. Snape had gone off somewhere a week ago, and hadn't yet returned. I meanwhile, had been left to my own devices.

Up in the dorm I pulled out the animagus incantation and the plants tied in cloth I needed. This time before starting I closed both the doors and the windows. Nothing was getting in to distract me this time. The spell was long and in Latin. I'd translated some of it, grudgingly asking Spike's help (it'd been required to learn when he was going to school), but the rest I left alone. The herbs were for protection only; they upped your chances of succeeding, and made it possible for a person to start attempting the spell immediately.

I sat cross-legged on my bed, and drew the drapes closed tightly. After opening the satchel of herbs I spread them around me in a full circle. Taking a deep breath I started chanting the spell. By the second verse I felt the first changes; I was shrinking and fur sprouted up and down my arms. I kept going, trying not to get sidetracked. Finally there was a popping sound. The sound that dad's transformation caused. 

The first thing I did was fall of the bed. It was when I tried to get up that I realized the spell had worked perfectly. It was no half and half thing this time. I was a gray wolf, larger than a pup, but certainly not full sized. I let out a self-satisfied yip. The possibilities were endless, but I decided to put off gloating to Madam Morela until the next day. Instead I transformed back, effortless compared to the spell itself, and cleared the plants from the bed. A wicked grin made its way across my face in the course of seconds. Sure the Forbidden Forest was well, forbidden, but had that ever mattered to me? I wanted to get used to the wolf's body, and that seemed the perfect place to do it. So I concentrated on transforming again, and trotted off, momentarily forgetting that out side a round, milky white moon hung in the night sky.

*~*

I'd been in the forest about a quarter of an hour when I heard rough barks and growls coming from a small ways away. I was exploring a small grove fifty feet from the forest entrance to Buffy and Spike's place. When I heard the noises I recognized dad's distinct growl and went towards it at a slow run.

Settling down in a clump of bushes I could clearly see Remus, Dad, and Oz. Two wolves, and a dog. The dog was giant and black, blending in well with the night. One wolf was gray and full sized, the other was brown and still had more growing to do, but it was bigger than I was. Dad crouched low to the ground staring directly ahead. Remus and Oz padded cautiously around the small clearing they were in. In the bushes to their right I noticed a slight rustle. Oz pounced on the bushes, sticking his muzzle in. He came out with a writhing rat in his teeth. 

I wanted to pounce on the rat I knew was Pettigrew, but I forced myself to stay still in the bushes. My eyes darted around quickly, as dad transformed. Anything could've been lurking the bushes. Oz opened his jaw and dropped the rat into dad's eagerly awaiting hands. He squeezed Pettigrew obviously not caring for his comfort. Nothing was said as Remus and Oz started out of the clearing with dad following behind.

Remus laid a heavy paw down on my tail as he passed by. Against my will I let out a loud bark of protest. Still no one said anything. Dad and Oz simply kept walking. Remus though turned to see what he'd stepped on. He took on look at my back and knew it was me. Every animagus has certain markings that are derived from their human form. I'm probably the only wolf you'll ever see with two cross-shaped patches of black fur. 

Next thing I knew I was being held in his mouth by the nape of my neck, like a mother wolf carries her young. This qualifies as one of those moments you want to forget, but the memory is so embarrassing it stays with you for the rest of your life. 

Remus trotted to catch up with the other two as I struggled to get back down to the ground. This just made the gentle bite painful so I eventually stopped. I hung limp as we fell in next to Oz. He looked startled to see a young wolf hanging from Remus's mouth but made no sound. Dad turned to look for a brief second. Something akin a grin might have tried to come to his lips, but he was to concentrated on the squirming rat in his hands

We approached the castle main doors quickly. Dad pulled one front door open, I thought maybe I'd be put down in the front hall, but I was carried up six flights of stairs. We stopped in front of Dumbledore's office, and dad spoke a quiet password. The gargoyle swung open and finally I was set down but nudged up the steps 

"Sirius, Remus, and young Daniel." 

Dumbledore's light voice greeted us. He sounded wide-awake though it was around eleven o' clock. Even I was beginning to feel tired. He was sitting at his desk, quill in hand. Stars and moons moved around on his pajamas and nightcap. Fawkes the phoenix with cooing softly in sleep on his perch. His red and orange plumage was looking about dirty, which suggested it was near burning time.

Remus picked me up again and dropped me closer to Dumbledore's desk trying to emphasize my presence. I would've changed back but I didn't want to do anything startling that would cause dad to drop Pettigrew.

"Mr. Black as well." Dumbledore noted the crosses on my back. His eyes lit up as he then looked to the rodent writhing in dad's hands. "Wormtail?" He asked simply. 

"He had a silver knife. He was after Remus and Oz." Dad said gruffly.

The old wizard picked his wand up from his desk. "_Revealus pending, entrap maximus. Silenco_" The first spell caused a wave of blue light to crash through the room. From the light and the rat emerged a small, fat, and balding man. Like the rat he had been, his nose twitched constantly and the muscle under his eye kept moving sporadically. I backed away growling when he placed his watery blue eyes on me. The second spell took effect now, it was the same spell Madam Morela had used to entrap my pixies and it worked for Pettigrew too. He stood in his cage beside Fawkes' stand.

"Adrian, if you would?" Dumbledore asked gently. I concentrated and turned back to human form with a distant pop. I looked at Pettigrew, a face all to familiar to me, and growled again, deeply in the back of my throat.

Dad looked to the headmaster. "We can't turn him in now. Malfoy will plan his escape or his trial."

Dumbledore looked thoughtful as he stroked his beard. "Lucius has no great love for you or Peter. You're right."

"What do we do?" I asked before thinking. "You're not just going to let him go? You can't, not after-"

"We're not letting him go." Dad said firmly. "I'd rather die than do that. We'll keep him somewhere. Buffy and Spike's maybe, nobody knows it's there."

"Either there or here." The professor said nodding. "Tonight, we will all remain here and keep watch until we can move him in the morning. I will alert Minerva, Wren, and Severus tomorrow as well."

"What's Professor Morela got to do with this?" I raised a suspect eyebrow at Dumbledore. The three adults exchanged looks with each other, talking in that secret adult language that kids rarely understand.

"Transform Adrian." Said dad softly. "Curl up with Remus. I'll explain then."

Without protest I transformed back to a small wolf and sat next to Remus. When a breeze blew through the tower window I curled up closer to his flank. Oz settled down on the other side of me and I felt perfect being in the middle. Dad straddled a wooden chair backwards and with a side wards glance at Peter and an approving nod from Dumbledore he began to speak.

"Wren Morela's my sister." He said bluntly. "Leandra Wren Black."

A/n- Ok, done. The letter about Dawn being in trouble that comes from The series Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging. None of those characters will actually be appearing (as in talking, having actions, meeting my characters) but if you ever see a letter about Dawn from school, or hear her talking about friends they'll be from that book series or have ideas from it. Just gotta say I don't own it and they belong to Louise Rennison. Chapter eight's ETA is Wednesday-Saturday. Again I'm sorry for this chap's delay, damn teachers and their evil homework schemes.

*~*


	9. Chapter Nine: Piper On The Bright Side I...

Chapter Nine: Piper- On The Bright Side, I'm Now The Girlfriend Of A Vampire

"Hi Anya." Dawn and I said simultaneously as the vengeance demon walked through the door. She wore a simple black dress with a string of pearls around her neck. Her hair was pulled back into tight bun with two tendrils framing the front of her face.

"Did you get my orb?" She asked, bluntly as usual. When I nodded she smiled. "Well then, it's nice to see you two. Did the spell work?"

"Oz caught Wormtail!" Dawn said excitedly. "Professor Dumbledore has him locked up in his office, 'cause they can't turn him in until Draco's dad is out of office."

"That's good news." Anya said sincerely. "So I can have the orb back?"

I shook my head quickly. Pettigrew's attack on Oz and Remus had been a surprise to me. I knew of a planned attack, so did Dumbledore, and that hadn't been it. I needed the orb to prevent trouble. It was a feeble attempt to prevent dark magic, but it made me feel better and put my mind slightly at ease. But maybe since Pettigrew had tried to catch them back in November they wouldn't come in February. I doubted it, and since by Dumbledore's orders Draco and I weren't allowed to say anything to any one, I was left to worry by myself.

"But-" She started, but stopped when I sighed loudly. "So how are you and Draco?"

"How did you find out about that?" I asked, genuinely stunned.

"Well Spike and Buffy told me that if you wished something horrible on him I shouldn't grant it; I told some of my friends too. I would've known because of the whole vengeance demon thing. A demon named Napola said you were sending out very strong vengeance vibes."

"They got back together during the dance. You should've seen it; the Great Hall was totally silent. Dumbledore was the first one to speak." Dawn said, glancing at her watch. "Fifteen minutes."

I grabbed the brush from Dawn's dresser and started to rake my hair into place. "You're kidding right? I cannot believe this, fifteen minutes and they'll be…married."

"Spike and Buffy." Dawn said wistfully. She stood and brushed non-existent dust from her short green dress. "A year ago I never would've thought this would happen. Willow was making with the bad mojo, Xander saved the world from utter destruction, and the Big Bads were three nerds. I mean, Spike tried to rape Buffy, then left. Now they have two kids and they're getting married."

"In ten minutes now, c'mon." Anya opened the door to Dawn's room and ushered us out into the hall. The scene in the hall was something near chaos. All of us at the house were girls; the guys were in the castle where Madam Morela was probably dishing out some last minute hangover relief potions (stag night had gotten kinda wild). Anyway it was all girls here which meant Anya, Dawn, Hermione, Candra, Willow, Cordelia, and of course me. The twins were here too; Hermione and Cordelia were watching and dressing them. In the hall Hermione was stumbling up the hall trying to slip on a pump while also holding Damon. Willow was running back and forth between the bathroom and Buffy's room giving Cordelia eyeliner, blush, and other makeup stuff. And if I knew Candra she'd probably been ready an hour ago and was now impatiently waiting for the rest of us in the kitchen.

"William get out of the makeup!" I laughed as I heard Cordelia from Buffy's room.

"I'll go get him." I told Willow as she came out again. 

But Willow shook her head. "I'll bring him out. You can't see Buffy until we're at the school. We want it to be all surprise like." Ten seconds later I was taking William into the bathroom to get the lipstick off of his forehead. He was giving his little smirk as he knocked various items from the sink to the floor.

"Everyone in a room!" Willow shouted. I heard Buffy's door open as Hermione, carrying Damon, and Candra joined me in the bathroom. In greeting William drooled onto my blue robes, and reached for his brother.

I sighed and reached for some tissue paper. "Want to switch babies?"

"Damon's an angel." Hermione said touching his cheek. "William on the other hand- he's going to be like his father."

Hermione and Spike didn't dislike each other, but they didn't like each other either. Their relationship was rated slightly higher than Spike's relationship with Xander. It was understandable considering the first time they met Spike accused her of being a pessimistic know-it-all, and Hermione thinks he's reckless and doesn't think.

There was shuffling in the hallways before someone called, "All clear." The three of us stepped into the hall and with everyone else moved towards the fireplace. 

"You have your stuff right?" I asked Candra as she touched a foot to the green flames. 

"Of course, I memorized the words to that awful song and as long as the piano's in the great hall with the sheet music I'm cool. Did I mention I hate Bette Midler?" She griped.

"Every single day for the past month." I answered. Candra had volunteered to sing Wind Beneath My Wings, except she volunteered to sing before she knew the song. For reasons she's never explained, she hates that song and she hates the artist even more. Buffy insisted on that one song. Candra didn't back down though, because she claims she's the only one in the school and our circle who could even think about singing it with out butchering even more than it originally was. She, Adrian and Oz would provide some of the music for the small reception along with a floating orchestra. 

"Hogwarts Great Hall." She said clearly and zoomed off from the fireplace. I stepped in next with William, and covered his head from the soot as we took the brief trip to Hogwarts.

The Great Hall was still decorated from Christmas two days ago, so it looked festive and happy. There weren't a lot of people coming so Filch had set up about thirty chairs. Buffy's Watcher Giles would be there along with the two or three students from school that didn't go home for the holidays, but everyone else I basically knew. Dumbledore stood up front smiling as people started sitting down. He'd be presiding over the wedding. Candra was in the corner with Oz running her fingers over ivory keys on the grand piano that had been provided. 

"Hey," Adrian said from behind me.

"Feeling better?" I asked with a grin. "I'll bet that's the last time you drink."

He rubbed his forehead, grimacing with the memory. "Yeah, apparently that was the point of the supposed responsible adults letting us drink so much. Spike and dad figured if we drank ourselves stupid last night we'd never do it again. They were right."

"I see you decided to go with the suit." I sat down in the second row with William on my lap and Adrian next to me. 

"Hermione was doing a dress so I went for the suit."

"Ah, the whole matching couples thing." I said with a laugh. 

"Har Har. Here give me William. He's drooling on you again." I gladly handed my brother the baby turned faucet. "Hmm, looks like everyone's about here. Hermione's coming, and Draco. I'll say one thing for him, he can hold liquor."

I raised an eyebrow. "He went with you guys?"

Adrian nodded. "Yeah, and get this, he and Ron didn't fight once, and Xander _likes_ him."

"Well that's interesting." I said as they approached. "There's Clem and Hayden."

"Who's Clem?"

"Spike's friend. He likes junk food and teen movies."

"Right then…" He trailed off giving me a weird look. "Hi Hermione."

He and Hermione embraced and kissed. "Adrian, you look great!" She said, pushing Damon into my arms so they could kiss some more. I sat him in the chair when Draco reached me and we ended up kissing, not breaking for air for a good minute.

"And you say we're gross." Adrian said with a disgusted look.

"At least we're not as bad as them." I pointed over to where Oz and Candra were making out and I was pretty sure their hands were places they shouldn't have been. "Technically he is twenty-two."

"No, the spell knocks years off your life, remember." Hermione informed us. "He's sixteen like us…_and he has his hand up her dress_!" She sounded scandalized as if it was her dress he had his hand up. I laughed as I felt Draco's hand on my back and trailing downwards.

"Draco get your hands off her ass." Cordelia said passing by. "Things are about to start. You all should sit down. I'm going to go break up the two lovebirds in the corner. They could at least use a closet."

"Sounds like a good idea." Draco said, pulling me into his lap. 

"Later," I promised.

"Yeah if you want Dad, Remus, and Hayden all killing you at once." Adrian snorted.

"Piper and Draco get off of each other." This time it was Remus who passed by with Dawn and Harry following. I was about to say something back but a hush fell over the hall. People sat quietly as Spike and…whoa, double take here…Spike and Xander walked into together. Spike and _Xander_. Well this was one to go down in the record books. Xander was Spike's best man. It couldn't have been any weirder if he'd asked Angel.

Then there was another site I thought I'd never see. Spike was in a suit, and all cleaned up. His hair was slicked back, but in a way that showed his natural curls. He was wasn't wearing the duster, which is something I never see him with out, and he'd taken the black nail polish off of his fingers. Xander was in a suit as well, and from two rows behind I heard Anya let out a small sigh that wasn't quite sad but almost there.

By magic the Wedding March started up from nowhere and the main doors to the Great Hall opened. Flower petals fell from the sky as Buffy walked in, Willow behind her. Buffy looked wonderful of course. Cordelia and Willow had done their jobs well. The wedding dress had looked great on the mannequin in the store but better on her. It was an off white ivory color; tight in the top but loose and flowing on the bottom. There were no sleeves and the top was like a tube top with a lot of embroidery and the edges topped with small pearly beads. Buffy hadn't wanted a veil so her face was clear except for the running mascara. She was crying already, along with Willow, but from the smile on her face everyone could see they were the good kind of tears.

When they reached Dumbledore Willow stood to the side with Xander, who handed her a handkerchief so she could wipe her eyes. Spike and Buffy just stared at into the others eyes not blinking or anything. As Dumbledore started to speak they looked slightly drawn out of their trance, but not too much. 

By the time their last vow was exchanged they had all of us girls in tears. They were so sappy yet you could tell they meant every word of it. We were all leaning on our respective boyfriends getting mascara and lipstick all over their clothes and dreaming of the moment when we got married. Draco stroked my hair gently whispering in my ear how much he loved me. This just made me cry even more no matter how hard I tried to stop.

"Do you Buffy Summers take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, to love and to cherish through sickness and health, hardship and prosperity?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"I do." Her voice was high and clogged with emotion.

"And do you William Winthrop take this woman to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, to love and to cherish through sickness and health, hardship and prosperity?"

"Yes I do." Spike answered. His voice was different, it sounded proper like it must've back in the 1800's. There was no Cockney anywhere. I knew it was definitely only going to be a one time thing, but it was nice to hear it. I'd always wondered what he'd sounded like in the past as a poet.

"With the power invested in me by the Ministry of Magic I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." 

Apparently Draco forgot that I wasn't the bride and took that as an invitation to kiss me senseless again. I didn't Buffy and Spike's kiss but I figured ours equaled in intensity. I felt a sharp flick on my back on my back and looked up to see Cordelia looking at us and Hermione and Adrian. Adrian too was rubbing his shoulder. Cordelia sighed and turned back around to watch Spike and Buffy. I grumbled as I watched her lean into Angel. Yeah, and we weren't allowed to kiss.

Professor Dumbledore clapped his hands twice and two long tables appeared at the side of the room. Food pilled on top of them, and as people started standing up their chairs disappeared clearing the floor for dancing. Candra sighed and stopped necking Oz as people started to get up, obviously ready to see the newly married couple dance.

"Well, time to go sing this bloody song." She said before heading to the piano. People quieted as she tucked her dress and sat down on the bench. The candles lighting the hall dimmed and Candra started out the opening notes. Buffy and Spike stepped to the middle of the floor and as the words flowed from her mouth they started to dance. Though Candra hated the song she didn't let it seep into her performance. She played and sang perfectly as usual.

"Let's dance." Draco said when Wind Beneath My Wings had finished. Candra was now playing what she considered real music, lots of Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, and other soul singers. There'd be more variety later when Oz and Adrian joined her or when the orchestra started up but for now Candra was in control and she belted out the songs without fail.

"One song," I said taking his hand. "Then can we find that closet?"

"We could do that now," He maneuvered through the dancers over to the back wall making sure no one saw exactly where we were going. His hands moved deftly over the wall until he found a stone that pushed inward. He pushed it slightly and a door opened just enough for us to slide in.

The room was small but well lit even with the door closed, and as soon as that happened Draco and I were attacking each other. I don't know if it was the wedding or something in the air but we were obviously both thinking of very inventive things we could do. I threw my robes over my head and into a distant corner, then worked on Draco's. We weren't naked but with the minimal amount of clothes underneath each it was close enough

As we kissed our mouths made hands made their way down. I was in total and complete ecstasy as Draco played around with the hollows of my neck and I rubbed my hands around his thighs. When I felt something pierce through my neck I tensed, but I realized it was only Draco. Instinctively my features changed and I didn't try to stop them. Draco detached from my neck and stared up at me. When I looked at his own distorted features and golden eyes I couldn't control my self at all and his reaction was the same. 

Buffy and Spike's wedding was an interesting night. I found out my boyfriend had vampiric blood, and more importantly I lost my virginity.

*~*

"You. Had. Sex." Spike's tones were clipped and precise. He'd have been yelling but he was feeding Damon and William while talking to me and yelling would have set them to crying, something we liked to avoid. It was only a day after their wedding, and one would think Spike had things on his mind other than me. But no. Get this; he'd 'sensed' the sex on me. He said it was like carrying a sent; most vampires could pick up on it.

"Bloody hell, I don't even know how to deal with this one." He said still staring at me. "I'd tell your dad but he's got his hands full with Adrian right now."

"What'd Adrian do?"

"Don't change the damn subject Piper. You had sex. You let Malfoy feed from you, and you fed from him. Tell me, where did you leave that thing called common sense last night?" Spike's grip on the table hardened to the point where he was leaving imprints.

My anger flared up. "Buffy lost her virginity at sixteen."

"Yeah and look what happened there. She released Angelus who almost ended up destroying the world, and got me in a bloody wheelchair. No good came out of that."

"She worked with you to stop him." It was a stupid response, but I hated the guilt trips and lectures he was so good at. "You don't understand. When I saw his demon I couldn't stop, something inside told me to do it. And it felt so right to have him feed from me. I felt connected to him."

"I do understand," he sighed. "How do you think I feel every time I see Buffy? But I resist, and it's hard because with Dru I could do it whenever I wanted. I've never fed from Buffy and I won't until she wants me to. I don't understand why you didn't know about Draco before."

"He's half, and he wasn't keeping secrets from me because he didn't know. His father just told him… incase he had to kill me. Malfoy doesn't know about me." I admitted slowly. "When Draco was a baby Voldemort wanted him strong to prepare him for life as a Death Eater, so they injected him with vampiric blood. It was experimental and he was the only one they ever tested it on. No one was sure whether it would strengthen or kill him. It worked but he's part vamp and gets all lumpy n' stuff."

"That's sick that is, testing on babies." Spike grunted. "Listen Pet, I'm not trying to be your father or anything, but be careful…with the sex and the feeding. I can guarantee none of us will be happy if any of you girls have a baby in nine months. You can tell that to your friend Harry too. He'd better not be getting' to friendly with my Nibs."

I almost laughed. "They're too shy to do anything really. It's Oz and Candra I'd be worried about."

"Willow's got them covered." He said, ducking as Damon spit banana back at us. "Back to you though, how'd the two of you end up in game face biting each other?"

"That's none of your business." I said blushing.

"I could make it your dad's."

"You play dirty. Fine, Draco was kissing me and I was, err…well my hands were places they probably shouldn't have been and then I felt him bite my neck. I thought he was giving me a hickey at first but then I felt the sucking and it felt like when Dru bit me last year only better. I shifted before I saw him, but when I did we both went crazy."

Spike nodded in a knowing fashion. "You followed natural instinct, but can't believe you did. You have total control over your demon most times."

"Yeah, when we're fighting. But last night there was, passion I guess. A lot of it. I don't have any like for fighting; I do it because I have to. With Draco it was because I wanted to, I'd do it again. I think that had something to do with it."

"You won't do it again." Spike said firmly. "'Cause I'll be able to tell, so will Angel. You got a warning this time, next time I'm tying you both up until you're legal or married."

I don't know why but that ultimatum made my eyes well up with tears, and I felt utter sadness. "But I love him. And I seriously don't think I have my control anymore. It left last night. If we start kissing…I can't make any promises. I would, but I can't. I mean, I saw Draco once today and I wanted to drag him to the nearest classroom, and he was looking at me the same way."

"Cor. It's because you exchanged blood. There's a connection that happens between vamps that drink from each other. You've got that now, and it's stronger if you're truly in love."

"Was it like that with you and Drusilla?" I asked cautiously, knowing that the subject was shaky at best. "I- I know you loved her, but to me it seems she flitted back and forth between you and Angelus. Was your bond strong?"

"Sometimes," He said slowly. "I loved her, but not like Buffy. Dru was more of an obsession, caused from the connection of Sire and Child. Sort of like the way I'm connected to you, Adrian and Sirius."

I frowned, confused. "You changed our grandmother three generations ago, wouldn't the bond have faded? And dad doesn't have vampiric blood."

"I know he doesn't." Spike rolled his eyes and let out an angry sigh. Setting down the baby food, he turned focusing all of his attention to me. "My middle name's Black you know that right? It was mum's maiden name. After my sisters husband died she dropped his last name and took on Black, so did her two sons, that's how the line emerged again."

"Spike, we did this last year. I know all this."

"After I was changed I kept an eye on all my descendants. When babies were born I marked them"

"Excuse me?" I blinked several times.

"I bit them, took some blood. It was like marking my territory, I dunno, I can't explain it Pet. It was stupid. Anyway, that's why I have strong connections with all of the black descendants alive today. I never gave them blood, but the bond was still there. These two are the first ones in one hundred twenty years that haven't been marked." He gestured to the twins.

"Wait, you snuck into the hospital and bit us when we were babies? They let you in the nursery. Who the hell was on these staffs? Y-You bit me. For the record you were completely and utterly disgusting before Sunnydale."

"You mad?"

"Well you could've killed me, my brother, dad, his father, and so on, and so on."

Spike shook his head. "Nah, I had to much of an ego to let my family line die out."

"I don't want to talk about this. It's…ugh. Can we move on please?" I let my fingers trail around my neck as I wondered exactly where Spike had bit me. In a life or death situation I would gladly let him feed from me, but I would've been better off not knowing that he'd tasted my blood.

Spike's eyes softened and he took my hand. "I'm sorry Pet, I really am." I gasped as I heard the proper English slip through his voice again. 

"Why do you do that?"

"It happens. I don't want it to, but it's my bloody voice, the real one, so it gets in." Spike said, looking uncomfortable.

"It's nice; makes everything sound so sincere," I said honestly. "But it freaks me out a little, because I'm so used to the rough English."

"Well I was sincere." He grumbled, glancing at the wall clock. "You need to go. It's almost time for dinner."

"Oh yeah." I said sheepishly getting up from the table. "Thanks for talking."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Just make sure you remember the important parts…like not having sex with Draco Malfoy again until you're eighteen."

"WHAT?!?!"

Spike and I both swerved around in time to see Willow standing the doorway completely slack jawed. She'd dropped the basket of clothes she was carrying and they now spilled out over the floor.

"W-What did I just hear?" Willow asked, tapping her ear. "'Cause I could've sworn it sounded like Piper has had sex. But see, I know that's not right because Piper knows that they're about six people standing by, ready to castrate the guy who defiles Piper's virtue, whether it's Draco Malfoy or Tom Cruise."

"Piper lost her virginity last night." Spike said bluntly. I punched him in the ribs.

"Oh Goddess," Willow murmured. "Spike, don't ever have daughters."

(A/n- The only part of this chapter I had planned was the wedding. Everything else –Draco being a vamp, Spike marking his descendants- my fingers just typed it. I had nothing to do with it. Doesn't matter now, 'cause that just means I have more for my big all-thrilling-all-action-climax-scene-that-you're-gonna-love. Well that was a mouth full, but that's what I'm calling it. That's included in my coming attractions but I don't feel like typing it over again so the here are the rest of 'em…Oz, Candra, and Remus are kidnapped, Malfoy does evil doings, Pettigrew taunts people and makes commands and threats even though he's locked up in a cage, Adhara presents someone with a time-turner, Pettigrew steals said time turner, and last but not least I'll leave you with a nice cliff hanger like my last story. Oh yeah, also we deal with Freya's Strand. If you don't know what that is, don't worry all will be explained.

As usual please review my story, and I must thank DumbOldDork for being ever faithful throughout my whole writing career including my first really crappy Spidey story *hides face in shame*. Also when you review please don't talk about the season premiere of Buffy, because I HAVEN'T SEEN IT YET!!! *Jumps up and down in anger* I have it on tape and will watch it along with the Charmed season premiere Friday afternoon. My friends *Strangles Dexter* have already provided me with enough unwanted spoilers, like the master's back or some evil badie who can take on it's form *screams*. And all my girlfriends have been telling me continuously how hot Spike looks with his hair grown out. Ok, I have to go start on the next chapter, which will be short, I'm warning you ahead of time. It's basically Adrian talking to Peter, sort of dramatic and I try to be angsty *laughs at feeble attempts*. 

                                -MJ

*~*


	10. Chatper Ten: Adrian The Really Short Cha...

Chapter Eight: Adrian- Dumbledore's Office

A/n- Like I said before this chapter is really short, only three pages and most of it's dialog, but it sets up the next chapter, which is like the second to last chapter and includes my big all-thrilling-all-action-climax-scene-that-you're-gonna-love. Please R/R

_Dear Lord,_

_             I write with excellent news for our cause. Though the idiot Pettigrew has managed to get himself taken hostage our backup plan is foolproof. Instead of the 14th the wolves will be taken on the 13th by the group of vampires that you have taken into your employ. They will then be brought to Diagon alley as was already planned. They will be dead by eight that evening, no later I promise. _

_Hogwarts has received a surge of visitors and seemingly permanent residents this year. Might I have permission to send out a reconnaissance team to scout them out?_

_                   Your humble servant,_

_                                                Lucius Malfoy_

I don't know what I was doing there. I'd been there so many times before for lectures, bad news, good news, and the like that it just seemed the place to go. No one of importance was there. The portraits were chatting amongst themselves, completely ignoring me and Fawkes was asleep, his head tucked under a wing. He didn't see me as I pushed the door open and came in. The noise from my transformation startled him slightly but his feathers just ruffled and settled again. In the magically enforced cage in the corner sat Peter Pettigrew. He watched me with his watery eyes as I transformed and sat down in the plush chair in front of Dumbledore's desk. His eyes narrowed as I stared straight back at him.

"The Dark Lord would reward you greatly to let me go." Pettigrew said smoothly. 

I ignored him. There were more important things on my mind than bribes made by a rat; say Valentines Day for instance. It was the thirteenth already and I had nothing for Hermione yet. Then there were Snape's two essays that sat unfinished on my bed. Those were important too.

"Rewards you could never dream of. He would pay greatly to have someone of your abilities working for him."

"I'm sure he would," I murmured hoping to shut him up. "Unlike you, I don't sell out."

"His followers do not consider it 'selling out'. We think of it as salvation from the taints of our race." He said.

"Yeah, uh, by your guidelines I'm one of those 'tainted' parts. I'm a vampire remember? I could rip your throat out without even thinking." I reminded him. 

"But you're special. Join us and peace would never come between species."

"Dad was right, you are stupid. That was the worst sales pitch I've ever heard."

Pettigrew grinned maliciously. "I have a better one. Join us and the vermin won't burn at the stake tomorrow."

"What?" Cautiously, I sat up from my slouched position on looked him straight in the eye.

"Your friend Oz and my old compatriot Remus. Them; the ones who don't deserve to live. The werewolves." He explained. "They'll be taken later today and executed by the good people of Diagon Ally."

I opened my mouth to speak, but then pieces of the metaphorical puzzle started falling into place. I could almost guarantee that Lee knew about this. She'd been acting weird about something. And when Pettigrew had transformed to human in the office that night a silver knife fell out of his hand. He'd been after the two of them. I went into game face as I approached the cage.

"Who's taking them?" I asked, baring fangs. "And when?"

"Why would I tell someone against our cause?"

"Remember what I said about ripping out your throat?"

He gave a slight shudder that was barely detectable but still said nothing helpful. "You'd never do anything to me…James." As he'd hoped I was forced to back away as a shock rocked through my body. When I looked back up he had regained full composure. "That's better. Now if you let me out of this cage I'm sure I could talk Lucius Malfoy out of this plan. Just let me out. You have your wand. Think how much Oz and Remus mean to you, you wouldn't want to loose them so soon, would you? I was supposed to take them tomorrow because with my silver hand I could handle both of them at one, but since you all ruined that plan by keeping me here they're probably already gone by now."

"I'm not going to loose them." I turned towards the door. 'I'd find Dumbledore' I told myself. 'He'd be able to do something.' 

"Oh, and James." Pushing down the pain I looked back at Pettigrew. He clamped his hands to the bars, pressing his head up against them. "I wanted to tell you this, when I killed your mother I enjoyed it. She fought to the end you know, but I had everything I needed to defeat a vampire. It was easy to frame Leandra for it. Of Remus, James, and Sirius I hated Sirius the most. Revenge on his family fed my hate until I could get Sirius himself."

Without thinking I lunged at the cage. When I forced my hand through the magical barrier the pain was almost unbearable but I didn't care or draw back my hand. I pulled Pettigrew's neck until I could reach it and sunk my fangs in. It was something I'd swore never to do to a human, but this was Peter Pettigrew. In my book he didn't quite qualify. 

"Kill me." He whispered, still smiling. "The mission will be accomplished then."

I wiped blood from my mouth, still swallowing. "Don't worry I will."

The more I drank the weaker his pulse in my hand became. Behind me the door slammed, but I didn't care. I could've taken anyone then. With the blood I felt almost invincible. A cool hand gripped my shoulder and pulled me off my victim. I hit the stone wall hard. As I slumped slowly I reached and felt blood dripping from a new wound in my forehead. It hurt, but was healing faster than what was normal for me. My eyes weren't focusing though, and the three figures in the room were a blur. I only recognized Peter.

"Adrian?" This time a warm hand swept back my hair. "Adrian? How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three?" I blinked fiercely as the room slowly stopped spinning. "Ow!"

"Is your neck ok, any bones broken?"

"Fine and no."

"Ok then, what the hell were you doing?"

"Xander?" I asked stupidly. Someone with black hair was in front of me. I could see that, but I couldn't really see facial features. He nodded, and pushed me down as I tried to get up. "The room is spinning."

"Spike I think you hit him a little too hard." Xander said sarcastically.

"Well he was having a meal on our little rat friend over here." Spike's familiar voice came from the right corner of the room. I spotted two blond heads and a black one with a fat blur on top of them. It looked sort of like Pettigrew.  

"Adrian can you see?" Asked Buffy's voice.

"The room is spinning." I repeated. "That really hurt. It's getting a little better though." I could make out Xander's face looking over me now, and his hand waving in my face. I batted it away and tried again to sit up, but I received only a monster headache.

The door opened again and a woman in white came in. "Oh God, what'd you do now?"

"Leandra can you clean him up before we chew him out?" Asked dad. I could see him now at the cage. They'd put Pettigrew back in and he was reapplying the spells I'd gone through. Xander moved away and Madam Morela bent over me clucking her tongue.

"You took blood?" She asked.

"Uh huh." I moaned, my body still throbbed from Spike throwing me against the wall. There was the familiar feeling of a broken rib on the right side of my chest.

"Not much I need to do then." She said, pulling out her wand. "Whoever threw him needs to be a little more careful in the handling of students. Spike I assume?"

"Yeah. Adrian what the bloody hell were you doing?" Dad asked evenly.

"They're gonna take Remus and Oz- today." I blurted out almost in-cohesively. "Like kidnapping them, then executing them."

"Buffy-"

"I'm on it." Buffy said cutting Spike off. She raced out of the room and down the twisting steps. Spike stuck his hand out and pulled me up off the floor. He completely ignored my groans as the room blurred again and multiple hammers started pounding on my skull. The cut on my head had healed completely and the rib felt better. 

"You went all fangy and grr on Wormtail 'cause he said he was going to kidnap Oz and Remus?" Xander asked skeptically. He looked at Spike a frowned. "You're a really bad influence on these kids."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Shut up whelp."

"Don't even start with each other." Morela glared at both of them. "Wormtail will be fine so there's no lasting damage on that front, and James can explain to us what happened later. But since we have what one might consider a pending crisis I suggest we not ground him now but develop some sort of plan."

"Right," Spike said. "Sirius since you can't go down there as a human the whelp'll have to go. Xander, there're some crossbows in the transfiguration room, and some swords. Get Peaches, he's with Cordelia, then go find Buffy."

"Spike we're dealing with humans, not demons." Xander sighed referring to the crossbows and swords. "Humans with magic wands."

"No. Buffy's slayer sense went off a little earlier but we couldn't find anything. The suns just about to set. Crossbows."

"I'll go with you, transformed don't worry." A distant pop sounded and dad had transformed into a huge black dog.

I looked at Spike. "What're you gonna do?"

"Goin' to pay a visit to a certain white haired goddess. You're coming with me. She has something that could help."

"Adhara?" Morela exclaimed. "She's still here? What could she possibly have?"

"Freya's strand. When you wear it you can change your form into anything. Dru wanted it for her birthday during World War Two, we didn't get it though. Adhara has it now and I think it'll help. C'mon, let's go." 

A/n- Please R/R. GTG finish my English paper and study for Latin. ETA for chapter nine is Thursday-Monday. I know that's really broad, but I'll try to send out an e-mail, also I'll answer all questions in next chapters authors note. Bye!

          -MJ

*~*


	11. Chapter Eleven: Time Travel or The End F...

Chapter Nine: Piper-

At a quarter to seven I'd just gotten out of lessons with Madam Morela twenty minutes before. As I headed out to the courtyard to work on some homework Harry and Ron fell in step with me and we walked together chatting amicably. Everyone else was off doing his or her own thing, whether it be working, causing trouble… or necking in a corner. I needed Adrian to copy his potions essay, but he had classes with Spike so I figured I'd copy Harry's. Ron's potions essays were never very reliable. 

We might've gotten some work done if it hadn't been for Ron's arachnophobia. We'd have still been sitting in the courtyard now working on various projects. There was this long line of spiders moving across the bench he was sitting on. They looked like they were marching, and they were moving quickly away. This is all Ron's description though. I was sitting across from him with my headphones on and the volume turned up. It was only when Ron's yells broke through the rap that I looked up. I rolled my eyes when I saw him screaming because of the spiders; I happen to like them, but then that's just me.

"Don't worry Ron." Harry wiped the trail clear with his book. One accidentally landed on Ron's pant leg.

"Get it off!" He yelled, jumping up in a jerking motion. 

The whole scene had me laughing for a few seconds, but then Ron fell into a clump of tall bushes and flowers that if parted led out of the courtyard. "Are you ok?" I asked sincerely. I knelt next to him alongside Harry. When Ron didn't answer Harry cautiously stuck his head into the bushes. 

"Piper," Harry said awed. "You have to see this."

'I'm sticking my head into a bush.' I thought sarcastically to myself. I took off my headphones and drew my robes around me before poking my head through. Pine leaves from the bushes fell into my mouth. They were bitter tasting and I spit them out before looking were the boys were.

"Oh my God!" I whispered almost grinning. "Total slayage action."

"Is this a good thing?" Ron asked skeptically. "Um, those are vamps, bad vamps."

The 'show' we were watching was pretty cool from our perspective. Buffy, Angel, Xander, Adrian, and Spike were up against ten or twelve vampires, and it looked as if the number had been higher to begin with. I cased the area around them looking for reasons why they'd be fighting vamps other than the fact that it's Buffy's life work, but I couldn't find one. Harry, whose head was stuck farther out, gestured towards Hagrid's hut. When we looked over I saw dad in animagus form casing some one around the garden patch, but seconds later they touched something and disappeared. 

"Portkey." Harry said, confirming my thoughts.

"Do you think we should, I dunno, do something. Help maybe?" Ron shifted uneasily in the dirt.

I shook my head. "None of us could do anything. I'm ok against fledglings, but vamps that've been around for a while… I'd get killed. And they look like they've had experience. Adrian's the better fighter between the two of us, I'm the better fencer, but that's the only real weapon I can use with out getting the wiggins."

"He's pretty good with that crossbow!" Harry laughed quietly.

"'Ey look, there's something around their necks." Ron pointed out.

"Who?"

Ron gestured again. "Adrian and Spike, look. Spike's is gold, Adrian's looks like…a time turner!"

"The sand is blue." I said, momentarily confused.

"How can you tell?"

"I've got better vision than you guys, anyway, yeah it's blue. Does that mean anything? And where the heck did he get it?"

Harry shrugged. "Hermione would know. They just dusted three more, that's good."

Dad barked loudly, signaling to the five fighters. They turned, still managing to hold off their attackers. Spike nodded after dad barked again and they took off. The vampires followed them in pursuit but Xander and Angel turned to deal with them. Spike, Buffy, and Adrian ran to where the man that dad had been chasing had disappeared. 

"Bloody hell Adrian we don't have time for this. Stay here!" We heard Spike yell. My brother gave them a murderous glare and when the adults touched the portkey he reached out and tapped it as well.

"Can we help them now?" Harry asked, looking at Xander and Angel who were taking on eight vampires alone. "We have wands, remember?"

"Excellent point. I kinda forget that when I'm dealing with these Hellmouth-ish situations. Stunning spells?"

"On three," Ron said. "One, two… _Stupefy_!"

All but one of them fell. The two seconds he took to be confused were the last two seconds of his undead life. Xander pulled the trigger on the crossbow just as he was looking up. The three of us wriggled out from underneath the shrubbery in a comedic fashion that involved much dirt in our mouths and the banging of heads.

"Ron!" I said, grabbing my things from the other side. "You smashed my Jennifer Lopez CD you dope!"

"After what we just saw you're mad about that stupid metal disc?" Ron rolled his eyes.

"Don't start with me." I warned. "Oh hi Xander. Hi Angel. Are we off to wherever the rest of them just went?"

"Do you even know what's going on?" Xander asked, carefully reloading the crossbow.

"I'm suspecting that they have Oz and Remus." Some of the hyperness dropped from my voice as I realized the situation. I was confused though. After the Halloween dance when I'd been Dumbledore's office with Lucius Malfoy he'd said that it would take place on February 14th. This was the 13th. I'd planned to be completely on my guard tomorrow, not today.

Angel nodded confirming it. "And your friend Candra."

"Whoa, I don't get it. Why would they have Remus and Oz in the first place?" Harry looked at the adults with worried eyes.

The sun had almost set, I noticed. There was just about a third left to go. Xander's eyes moved to watch the sinking sun as well before he answered. "Lucius Malfoy has this whole plan, he's going to convince the crowds in Diagon Alley to execute with the whole Mass Hysteria Mob psyche thing. There's some sort of scientific name for it, but that's not important. Oz, Remus, and probably Candra are about to be well done on the stake."

"Well done…" Ron thought about it for a second. "Oh that's gross! Only Muggles do that."

"With a hysteria spell you anyone to do anything in mob." Harry spoke knowledgeably. "We just did them in Charms remember?"

"Why did they take Candra? She's not a wolf. I've been with her on many a full moon." I protested.

"She was with Oz when they came for him." Angel said quickly. "Come on. We're wasting time."

*~*

It's amazing how quickly things can change. Five minutes ago Diagon Ally had been peaceful and quiet as people finished up their shopping or came in for dinner at a restaurant. They'd been carrying baskets over their arms and smiles on their faces while they shopped. It'd looked like the first scene of Beauty and the Beast except no one was singing that annoying 'Bonjour' song. We arrived in time to see said baskets being thrown down, forgotten onto the streets, and said smiles turning into frowns and glares.

People were surging from all over to move to the front of Gringots Bank. I was almost trampled when I attempted to push my way forward. Harry, Ron, and I managed to loose Xander and Angel within the first few seconds. Far ahead I saw Spike's bleached hair but my voice barely reached above the shouts of the mob, and we weren't moving anywhere fast. 

Gringots finally came into view. The goblins looked pissed. They paced the steps yelling unrecognizable words attempting to push away the three stakes that had been placed in the piles of straw. Goblins are impervious to most control spells, that's one of the many reasons they make such reliable bankers. But even though the hysteria spell wasn't working on them they were completely outnumbered by the amount of people it was controlling. Two hooded men in black were on the steps next to the execution sites. They stood with wands ready and pointed at the straw.

I almost lost the boys but I grabbed the tail of Ron's robes and followed closely, as we approached the near front. Harry called out for Spike and Xander who we could now see clearly. Spike turned to look, but his attention was distracted along with everyone else's when Ian McNair and one of his Death Eater cohorts dragged two struggling teens to the piles of straw. Two other dark clad men bought out Remus, who was decidedly more passive in his bonds. All three were wrapped in silver chains, and Remus and Oz both looked like they were in terrible pain. The more Oz struggled the harder the chains tightened around him. Candra, usually one for a demure state in times of panic, looked terrified. She cried out several times as they began to tie her to a post.

"You can't do this!" Harry and Ron caught me as I stumbled backward in slight shock. I looked around for where my brother's voice had come from, but still the only Scoobies I could see were Spike and Xander. I looked for Angel and Buffy, the only other two adults on our side I'd seen come, but there were just too many brunets and blonds in the crowd.

From our right there was a sudden yell from the masses. I couldn't make it out but seconds later Adrian was being hoisted in the air and moved towards the steps and the waiting executioners like it was a mosh pit. "He's a supporter! Burn him!" They were yelling. I tried to run forward but Harry grabbed me, and held me there.

"Spike and Xander'll get him." He said soothingly.

I watched with one eye in terror as Adrian was moved closer to the steps, with the other I searched for Buffy and Angel. Now I'd lost track of Spike. Too much was going on, I decided. I swung my eyes back to Adrian. He was on his back, but rolled over to his stomach. There was a pop I almost didn't hear and Adrian disappeared. A small gray wolf jumped down through a hole in the hands and streaked off to the left. I soon lost sight of him.

Ron gasped. "Did he just…?"

"Yeah." I nodded, amazed. "Dad's gonna kill him."

"But they're going to kill them first! This isn't good!" Harry said, pointing and finally sounding panicky. They'd tied all three of them to the stakes. Ian McNair stepped forward with a look of grim determination on his face.

"These vile creatures behind me are supporters of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named! He has sent out a message to all dark creatures asking them to come to his side and they joined him! Good people of Diagon Ally, with your permission we will do away with the last of the free werewolves in England." A roar of approval rang out through Diagon Ally. "Good, light the vermin so that they may die." Candra screamed as sparks shot out from all three wands and ignited the piles that they stood upon.   

"We can't do anything!" Ron said softly. "W-We…"

"You can't, but we can."

Harry and Ron parted as Willow, Madam Morela, and Cordelia pushed through the crowds. Cordelia brought up the rear dragging behind her Peter Pettigrew on a leash. Willow looked positively pissed as she looked up where our friends were close to becoming a meal for Hannibal Lector. 

"Dumbledore's working on this damned spell." Morela said also looking to the Gringots Stairs. "As soon as we show Pettigrew to the public, that should fully break it. If you distract the subject with something more exciting the spell leaves. Pettigrew should be exciting enough."

"Draco and Sirius are around here somewhere, Hermione too. They wouldn't stay away." Cordelia yanked the chain. "Let's go Rat-Face!"

As the three women made their way through the mob I finally saw Buffy. She, with Spike, Xander, and Angel were running up the stairs to the fires. Buffy snapped the first two wands pointed at her and ran to Candra and Oz. Spike fought as Xander and Angel worked on knocking Remus' stake out of the flames. 

"Piper!"

"Adrian!" I yelled as he ran over. "What-"

I couldn't finish. I couldn't talk or make any noise. Someone screamed like she was being killed, but she wasn't. More screams of frightened people joined in as their hands rose, pointing, to the stairs. Adrian twisted his head around quickly, trying to see what had happened. Slowly his eyes widened and he ran his fingers over his neck.

"Damn, damn, damn…" He murmured crazily. I looked at his neck. The Time-Turner was missing, and I assumed that that didn't bode well for what was about to happen. On the stairs a thin coat of blue sand had landed on the marble ground. Next to it was a swirling portal that blurred, as you looked closer to the middle. It spun around quickly, and I doubt anyone could see inside.

I tried to speak but then something worse than random portals popping up happened. As Cordelia stopped to stare at the portal Pettigrew saw his chance and made a run for it. Being that we were all mesmerized by the portal it took at least five seconds for us to notice that Pettigrew was running. Running towards the portal. It was when he jumped through that we reacted.

I ran with Harry, Ron, and Adrian not thinking of what could happen. I just wanted the rat back. The mob stood stock still watching us run. It seemed the spell was wearing off. If this wasn't a distraction, I don't know what was. Spike, Buffy, Angel, and Xander were closer and jumped into the portal without thought. When it didn't zap them or shoot them back out I ran faster. 

The last things I saw were Harry, Ron, and Adrian behind me, Madam Morela bending over my friends checking their burn wounds, and three figures behind the boys. I saw the blue murky mists of the portal and then my world went black.

*~*

"She's moving. I think she might be waking."

"Bring some candles and water please Beth."

There was something else said, but I didn't know what it was. My head was killing me and the lack of light in the room was pleasant when I slowly blinked my eyes open. There was so much gook around the sides it was like it had spent days building up. Days? I opened my eyes completely and let out a small groan.

"How do you feel?" Asked what seemed to be a disembodied voice. I blinked a few times trying to make my eyes focus. A woman in her forties stood at the side of the bed I was in. Next to her was a younger man, maybe in his early twenties. The woman wore a dress that I had to look twice at. It was something I'd expect to see in the 19th century or…I looked around the room. There were no electric lights, no outlets, and no radio or television. There were candles, beautiful looking mahogany furniture, and a hoop with unfinished embroidery still sitting in it. A fire burned in the fireplace, which wasn't unusual, but instead of cooking or using it for flooing, they were warming bricks for foot warmers in beds.

When I looked up at the man I gulped and struggled not to say anything. He wore glasses now, and his hair was brown, but there was no mistaking those cheeks. I clutched the thick blanket the lay over me.

"William, she seems to be startled by you. Why don't you see to our other charge." Said the woman.

"Yes mother." 

I was now sufficiently convinced that I was not in Kansas anymore.

_To Be Continued in Twins of Peace Book Three: Time Hopping_

(A/n- Done! ::sighs::. Please R/R, I didn't think I'd finish tonight but I did. Thank God, I'm sooooooooo tired! Ok, there will be a sequel as you can probably tell. So questions to be answered…Why's Piper there, where's everyone else, where's Pettigrew, what're the poor people left back at home going to do, will the ministry be fixed, will Sirius be freed now that they've all seen Pettigrew, what does the time turner have to do with all of this, what does Freya's strand have to do with all of this, what does Adhara have to do with all of this, will the author of this story ever get a life? These questions and more answered in _Twins of Peace Book Three: Time Hopping_. Lessee, as you all know with my previously wrong ETA's, I'm really bad at predicting when I'll have chapters out. So to be safe I'm going to say that Book Three will be out by ::thinks- hmm, today's the 7th, maybe:: the 18th. That's when it will defiantly be out by. Sorry I'm taking so long but I need to catch up on some sleep and work on my other Buffy fanfic. But I really do like writing this, I'll especially like this next part 'cause I'm gonna get to write about the future and the past. Wheee! Ok, I'm…goin'…to…sle-…zzzzzzzzzzz.

-MJ


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